Super Robot Taisen S Zero
by Lily Nadesico
Summary: The prequel to "Super Robot Taisen S". As the threat of war looms over the Earth Sphere, fate begin spinning an invisible web around the people who will play a significant part in the coming chaos...
1. Chapter 1

**Super Robot Taisen S-Zero**

**Hello to all my readers, and welcome to my newest fanfiction, Super Robot Taisen S-Zero! What you are about to read is a prequel of sorts to the fanfic I recently published on this site, Super Robot Taisen S... I say 'a prequel of sorts' for a reason, which will become clear in later chapters, and I'm sure more than a few readers will be pleased to see what will become of it! I hope this story will enjoy the same success as my previous one, or possibly even more, and I trust a few more authors will be encouraged to write something about this awesome saga of mecha crossovers soon! There are few authors around here, and it would be nice if the fandom could spread around here too!**

**Anyway, I need to do the disclaimer now: the Super Robot Taisen saga of games does not belong to me, but to Banpresto, and all the characters, robots and fictional places used in my fanfic are trademark of their respective authors. This story has been written for entertainment purpouses only, and this authoress does not make any money from it.**

**Okay, now that this is out of the way, let's go to the meat of the story! I wish you all a nicestay and happy reading!**

oooooooooo

**Chapter 1 - Scouting Troubles**

Japan, Space Century 138. An era of great change, great social tensions and, above all... terrible wars that have ravaged the new era in which humanity is reaching to outer space. Enmities between Earthnoids and Spacenoids, Naturals and Coordinators... and the numerous alien invaders threatening the peace following the estabilishment of the Earth Union, taking advantage of the reduction in military resources. In the larger cities, the neutral colonies and in few other places, people keep living trying not to think of the looming menace... but even then, the atmosphere of insecurity reigning supreme in the whole Earth Sphere is clearly felt. The destruction of the Titans, OZ and White Fang has done little to assuage the general fear.

However, in that particular early spring morning, under a warm April sun, the surroundings of the famous Science Lab Fortress, one of the most well-known research centers on Earth, where Professor Kenzo Kabuto was conducting his research and trying to contrast the alien invasions any way he could, were tranquil and peaceful... at least, until something unexpected came shuffling on the scene: a clumsy and awkward robot which seemed to have been assembled from random pieces of red, yellow and orange metal junk, all of which had been put together in a rather poor attempt at making it look threatening. Because of its baboon-like hydraulic arms and of its comical face, with rotund eyes and a mouth that was little more than a ventilator in a semispheric head of pinkish metal, such an attempt was falling flat.

Like a sumo wrestler, the strange semi-humanoid robot raised a leg and then stamped its foot on the ground, causing a miniature earthquake, before striking a perfect superhero pose, complete with sparkling and a red cape billowing in an imaginary wind behind it!

"Ta-daaaan! And here we are! No problems in sight! The sun is high in the sky, and this is just the perfect day for a reconnaisance mission!" the strange robot's pilot exclaimed, trying to sound heroic. He was an overweight and quite funny-looking young man, with an exaggeratedly protruding lower jaw and a rather silly grin on his face, and short black hair kept from falling in his forehead by a ridiculous-looking white headband with a red sun printed upon it! He wore an orange shirt that was barely big enough to cover his rotund stomach, black jeans and grey shoes... and at the moment, he was slightly protruding from the ventilator that made up his clumsy robot's mouth, enjoying the vista from his elevated position.

"Er... sir, I wouldn't want to sound petty, but..." a slightly calmer voice came from behind the rotund boy, belonging to a slimmer black-haired teen, seated at the pilot's place. "You shouldn't lean so much from there, it's kind of dangerous..."

"Yeah..." said a third boy, a short guy who looked quite a bit smarter than the other two, with messy brown hair and small black eyes. "Shouldn't you be going back to the pilot's seat and fasten your seat belt?"

The rotund boy turned to his "subordinates", still keeping that cocksure grin. "Heheheheee... and quit it, you two worrywarts! And on that matter... Nuke, Mucha! Try not to make Boss Borot fall like you always do, alright? I want to look good today... after all, this is my date with the lovely Sayaka!" he exclaimed.

On a TV screen fixed to the makeshift cockpit's wall and acting (somehow) like a communicator, the image of a pretty girl of about seventeen, with long brown hair and wearing a yelow piloting suit and a white helmet with red highlights, appeared after a fair bit of noise and malfunctioning from the screen... and the girl began immediately verbally reigning in the boy's imagination. "What are you talking about, Boss? This is not a date, it's a recon mission... and we have to stay continuously on alert! If we lower our guard, we'll get taken out by a Machine Beast again, and we don't want that." said the girl - obviously Sayaka - in a slightly annoyed tone.

The boy named Boss, suddently becoming as meek as a lamb, lowered his head, still with a smile on his face, and rubbed the back of his head, as his face took on a bright red tone (which made his two 'underlings' snicker in amusement...). "Heheheee... Hi, Sayaka! Yeah, yeah, I know it's recon duty... er... but don't worrry your pretty little head! If one of those big hunks of metal comes, I'll make sure to send it back to the junkyard it came from with my Boss Borot Super Deluxe Punch!" he exclaimed, one of his robot's fist raised in the air for emphasis!

Sayaka rolled her eyes as her robot, the Aphrodite A, neared the clearing where the Boss Borot was busy striking heroic poses. The brown-haired girl's robot was female in shape, almost completely composed of yellow Chou Goukin Z metal with red highlights on its head, neck, the sides of the torso and the lower midsection. Its face was nothing more than a pair of blank almond-shaped eyes, and on top of its head, between a pair of short "horns", was a transparent dome which allowed to see the inner cockpit.

"Boss, guys... I'd like to remind you that we're not exactly here to fight... which my robot isn't exactly made for, anyway..." Sayaka added, thinking back with chagrin to all the times she had been defeated in battle by one of Dr. Hell's Machine Beasts. "It appears that recently, a strange object has been sighted falling in the proximities, out of seeming nowhere, and we're here to investigate this strange happening. Unfortunately, it seems that the Neo Zeon military has already gotten ahold of it, so there's the complication that we can't get sighted by them..."

Boss grumbled irritably as he went back to his pilot seat and grabbed the Boss Borot's commands (actually, little more than an old driving wheel and a somewhat rusty cloche). Yeah, he had heard about that as well - Neo Zeon seemed to have put up an operation base, one of their many spearheads in preparation for the occupation of the Earth... and just to top it off, the sightings of Neo Zeon Mobile Suits such as Dreissens or Zussas had been recently joined by sightings of Gebaye and Drau Metal Armors, belonging to the lunar Giganos Empire... and ZAFT's GINN Mobile Suits. Which all gave credibility to the rumors about Neo Zeon joining forces with these two factions...

"Yeah, that's a big problem..." the strange-looking boy admitted, as his two friends went back to the Boss Borot's other consoles. "If those weirdos got ahold of that meteorite thing, that could be trouble for us... but for all we know, it could be just that, a meteor. And anyway, shouldn't it have burned to ashes in the atmosphere?"

"If it was small enough, that would be the case..." the girl answered. "But, just like you said, it _could_ be just a meteor. It's better not to dismiss any possibility, and... Huh? What's that?"

Boss widened his eyes and tried to stand up with a start... only to be painfully reminded that he had fastened his seat belt, much to Nuke and Mucha's costernation! "Owwwww! Darn, me and my seat belts, that hurt like Hell! Ugh... er... you... you said there's something on the radar, Sayaka?" he said, glancing at a blank screen on the somehow-functioning console. "Hmmm... how weird, I can see nothing... are you sure your radar is working?"

Sayaka sighed, as she glanced at a TV antenna on the Boss Borot's shoulder... Boss' attempt to mount something of a radar on his robot!

"The pot calls the kettle black... no, I'm sure my radar is working great! There's something closing in on our position, and we should be in eye contact with it in a few moments! It's possibly a bunch of Machine Beasts, or Neo Zeon Mobile Suits! Let's take cover, and try not to be discovered! There, among those trees! Let's hide there and activate the radar-jamming functions!" the Aphrodite A pilot said, pointing to a small grouping of trees no more than ten metres far from them. The female robot managed to reach the makeshift hiding place and make itself as scarce as it could... but the clumsier Boss Borot was having trouble catching up because of its slower gait.

"Hurry up, Boss! They're coming!" Sayaka exclaimed in worry. "They will be visible to the naked eye in no more than ten seconds!"

"Hanf... hanf... that's what I'm trying to do, Sayaka! If only these two goofballs were a little faster... Hey, you two! Don't just stand there like garden statues! Make yourselves useful and move those legs!" he exclaimed, first to the girl... and then to Nuke and Mucha who, a little behind him, were frantically trying to make the Boss Borot accelerate... by running on a pair of gym bicycles! Unfortunately, the two younger boys were already exhausted by the run...

"Huff... huff... we... we are.. phew... doing... our best..." Nuke, the taller and slimmer boy, exhaled, trying to push the pedals with all of his strength...

"But... hanf... we can't do... pant... more than this..." Mucha concluded. Boss grit his teeth in annoyance and grabbed his cloche, in an attempt to make his robot go faster...

It was too late. The unidentified objects, barely visible to the naked eye by then, unleashed a volley of missiles against the clumsy robot, who managed to barely avoid being struck dead center! A collective scream came from Boss and his underlings as some pf the projectiles exploded upon impact on the ground, and the Boss Borot flew a short distance before slamming dangerously close to Sayaka's hideout, some plasters somehow appearing on its surface!

"Boss! Guys!" the girl called out, coming out of her hiding place to see if her friends were alright. "Guys, please, answer me! You're not injured, are you?"

The Boss Borot's arm rose up from the smoking ground and made a thumbs-up gestures. "Owwww... it's... it's alright, Sayaka! Takes... more than that to knock off the brave Boss!" the older boy answered, as even the stunned Nuke and Mucha signaled that they were doing okay.

"Somehow... we're still alive!" the taller boy commented.

Sayaka sighed in relief, then turned her Aphrodite A to the approaching enemy: her worst fears were confirmed when she saw, only a few hundred meters away from them, a trio of terrifying mechanical monsters approaching her: a giant blueish-gray skeleton with red eyes and large hooked blades sprouting from its skull's sides; a two-headed dragon with shining eyes and small horns on both heads, whose chest was covered in purple armor, and with a bunch of missile launchers embedded in its stomach; and a strange quadruped with an hexagonal body, a vaguely humanoid head, and spikes coming out of its back! Accompanying the disquieting trio of Machine Beasts was a huge grey flying machine, bearing some sort of purple dorsal fin somehow resembling a shark's, short wings with mounted propellers, and a rotund tip with red eye-like components and a green jaw-like extention, all of which made it look like some sort of huge flying mechanical fish! The strange vehicle, casting a dark shadow upon the lively spring afternoon, quickly lowered its altitude... and its commander, a mysterious figure wrapped in a purple cloak, his hands holding some sort of golden staff, laughed in triumph!

"Hahahahaaaa! I cannot believe my luck!" the creature laughed, in a strange dual voice which resembled a male and a female voice speaking in perfect unison. In fact, even the mysterious individual's face, the only part of his body not hidden by the cloak, seemed to be evenly split in two vertical halves - a male one, with strong angular features, and a fair-skinned female one with a green eye and full ruby lips. "Here I was trying to find out something more about that mysterious... meteor, and what do I get? Mazinger Z's little friends handed to me on a silver platter! My lord, Dr. Hell, will be delighted with that!"

Yes, there was no doubt about it... Sayaka had seen that menacing flying ship too many times not to recognize the Flying Fortress Guul... and its commander Baron Ashura, one of Dr. Hell's servants, and sworn enemy of the Mazinger Team! And the Machine Beasts following the flying fortress were old faces as well: a Garada K7 (the skeleton), a Dabras M2 (the two-headed dragon) and a Toros D7 (the hexagon monster)! Not exactly the welcoming party anyone would have liked, especially not robots like Aphrodite A and the Boss Borot, who were not made for fighting!

Sayaka had her robot retreat, and pressed a red button on her console, while the Boss Borot picked itself up and the Machine Beasts kept advancing. "Ugh... just what we didn't need... Baron Ashura and his minions..." the girl muttered to herself, worried about the fact that even Dr. Hell was interested in the strange object that had fallen to Earth. If he had managed to get his hands on it, it would have been the same as if it had fallen in the clutches of Neo Zeon, ZAFT or Giganos Empire... it would have meant trouble to everyone!

Apparently, the evil baron had heard Sayaka's muttered words. "Heheheheee... what were you expecting, little girl?" he chuckled ferociously. Now the Guul was so low that its engines were beginning to kick up a terrifying dust storm from the ground, giving the Machine Beasts underneath it an even scarier look. "We had picked up something approaching the Earth's atmosphere long before your radars could sense it! The technologies of the Mycenean Empire far outstrip your retrograde toys! My original mission was to investigate and possibly recover that unknown object, but I think destroying your little pieces of junk will score me quite a few points with my master Dr. Hell! Heheheee... and now, my mechanical beauties... destroy Aphrodite A and that sorry excuse for a robot!"

The obedient Machine Beast picked up the pace, the earth shaking under their steps as they advanced towards Aphrodite A... and the Boss Borot, whose pilot sounded like he was VERY angry at the previous insult to his robot!

"What did you say, you half-man?" Boss roared from his makeshift mecha's cockpit. "Just come down and say it to my face, if you dare! Boss Borot is my pride and joy! I won't let anyone make light of it!"

"Boss, don't get distracted! They're coming!" Sayaka warned, tightly gripping her female-looking robot's controls as the mechanical monsters approached. Under the bright April sun, the girl could see the Garada K7's skull blades and the Toros D7's dorsal spikes shining threateningly, while the Dabras M2's twin heads moved like angered snakes in frantic wait for a prey to devour. "Don't worry about me, I just sent a distress signal to Kouji, Tetsuya and Jun, and they should be here in a few minutes... meanwhile, you try and save yourself! I will hold these monsters off as much as I can!"

"Me? Retreat from a fight?" Boss roared, outraged at the idea. "Don't even think of that! This is a matter of honor, and running away now would stain my pride and that of the Boss Borot!"

Nuke and Mucha grimaced in horror behind him. "Ugh, I knew he'd say that..." the taller boy murmured. "Woe is me... we're done for..."

Sayaka shook her head as her Aphrodite A slipped into a fighting pose. "Alright, then... but be careful, Boss! Do not expose yourself too much, we just have to hold out until Kouji and the others come!" she answered, mentally preparing herself for the battle with the robotic beasts.

She could only hope that Kouji... er, the rest of the Mazinger Team... would come soon. Aphrodite A and Boss Borot couldn't hold out for long by themselves...

oooooooooo

"Hmm? What's this...? Sayaka and Boss! Looks like they found trouble, just like always!"

In another robot's cockpit, a teenage boy with messy black hair coming out in bangs from under his white helmet, immediately caught the distress call coming from Sayaka's Aphrodite A, and grabbed the cloche, causing his majestic machine to stop in mid-air: it was an enormous demonic-looking robot, a black color all over its torso with a pair of red armor plates on its chest, forming a shape similar to a flattened V, red groin and shoulder plates, white limbs with "gloves" and "boots" of polished blue-grey metal, and a menacing head with yellow pupilless eyes, a ventilator-shaped mouth and two golden spikes coming out of its temples. Its looks alone promised death and destruction to all its enemies...

...and it couldn't be otherwise, since that robot was none other than the mighty Mazinger Z, the robot created by the famous Dr. Juzo Kabuto as a defense weapon against Dr. Hell's ambitions! For quite a few months already, the demonic-looking warrior made of Chou Goukin Z league, and its even more powerful companion Great Mazinger, had been a thorn in the evil scientist's side and an obstacle to all invaders, and had destroyed countless mechanical monsters, triumphing in seemingly desperate conditions! And even today, it looked like their intervention was called for...

Not that Kouji Kabuto, Juzo's grandson and official Mazinger Z pilot, really minded... and in fact, a slightly arrogant smirk appeared on his young face.

"Alright then... Turn around, Mazinger Z! Looks like even today we're placing some Machine Beasts to the cleaners!"

With an elegant midair turn, Mazinger Z began flying at high speed in the direction of the distress call...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Mazinger To The Rescue

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S ZERO**

**Welcome back to my story! A fair bit of time has passed since this story was first published, and I hope people haven't lost their patience with me! I don't have much to say, really, except that I'm glad to have gotten this chapter out before school started again... and that I hope it will be as well-received as the previous one, if not more!**

**I'm not going to waste your time on my ramblings! Just enjoy the chapter... and please, let me know how you liked it!**

**See you as soon as I'm back from Croatia!**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 2 - Mazinger to the rescue**

The Aphrodite A and the Boss Borot slowly backed away, their pilots keeping their eyes on the monstrous Machine Beasts and their leader, on board the colossal Flying Fortress Guul, advancing menacingly towards them. Sayaka had managed to send a distress signal, which had surely already reached Kouji, Tetsuya and Jun, but until at least one of them arrived, she and Boss' gang were to hold their own themselves against the mechanical monsters. A really bad situation, considering their their robots had had far from exceptional showings against the mechanical monsters until now... But the teenagers' courage and stubbornness put their fears to rest, and their robots, after backing up against a group of trees, slid in a guard position and got ready to defend themselves.

Which only amused the half-man half-woman creature at the Guul's commands. "Heheheee... so you have decided to stay and fight, huh? Whatever that strange object you want to recover is, if you are willing to risk that much to protect it, that means taking possession of it will be a great boon to us! Dr. Hell will be proud of my achievement!" Baron Ashura said, before turning to the rest of the Guul's crew, armored humanoids wearing golden helmets vaguely resembling miniature pyramids, who were frantically keeping track of the flying fortress' functions. "Everybody, take position. If I know how things usually go, Mazinger Z will be here any moment! We have to be ready to greet him! And after we take out these fools, we'll take care of that... 'meteor'!"

"_At your command, Baron Ashura!_" one of the warriors answered in a dull, metallic voice. The evil baron nodded in satisfaction and raised his staff, giving an order to the Machine Beasts outside...

"And you, my mechanical slaves... Go! Destroy those ridiculous toys!" he/she exclaimed.

The mechanic beasts almost seemed ecstatic to obey the order, and a fierce red light lit up in their eyes when their master brought his staff down with a quick movement of his arm. In an instant of pure fear, Sayaka saw that the creatures' movements had become more fluid and quicker... and they definitely didn't show any hesitation, as if they were driven by some primal murderous instinct. The Garada K7 dislodged one of its crescent-moon sharped horn blades and held it in one of its bony hands, while the two-headed dragon, the Dabras M2, readied its missiles for launch, and the Toros D7 lowered itself on the ground and took aim...

But Sayaka and Boss had other plans. "_Alright, it's just Boss and me right now... no matter, we can still find a way to neutralize these monsters! If only I could find a weak point..._" the brunette thought to herself.

"Nuke! Mucha! Take care, they're coming!" Boss exclaimed, turning to his attendants. "As soon as one of these thing approaches, we'll drive the engine to its limits and strike down those things with my new and improved Borot Punch! They'll have to think twice before tangling with us!"

"Phew... wow... all... alright, Boss, but please allow us a moment to take our breaths..." a wheezing Mucha answered. "We have been pedaling for all this time... and we are... kind of... tired..."

As soon as the Garada K7 started raising its blade-wielding arm, the Aphrodite A bent its knees and got ready to receive the attack...

"NOOOOOW!"

Sayaka almost jumped in her seat when Boss' harsh voice blared from her communicators... and, with all the speed its clumsy body was able to muster, the Boss Borot launched itself against the mechanical skeleton, catching both it and the other enemies off guard - Baron Ashura included! None of them was expecting such a direct, reckless frontal assault, and the Machine Beasts had no time to even react when the goofy robot made of scrap metal raised its right fist and tried to strike the Garada K7 with it!

"YAAAAH! **Borot Punch!**" Boss screamed as his robot's disproportionate limb sped towards its target... and was separated from the rest of the Boss Borot's body by the sheer force of the attack! There was a loud metallic clash as the joints broke, and the serrated fist, a part of the mechanical arm still attached to it, flew towards the Garada K7 and struck the skeleton monster on its wrist, forcing it to drop its blade, which embedded itself uselessly in the ground!

As if surprised by the fact that it had been disarmed, the Garada K7 stepped backwards, but this availed it nothing, as the Boss Borot slammed on the bony Machine Beast with all of its weight! Much to Sayaka and Baron Ashura's amazement, the Machine Beast actually buckled under the blow! The weak and comical junkyard robot, the Boss Borot... had managed to inflict some damage on a Machine Beast! That was simply unheard of!

Even the other two remaining Machine Beasts seemed too amazed to react, as they saw their "companion" trying to regain balance, and electrical sparks shooting out of the dent Boss Borot had inflicted upon it. With a loud slam, the Boss Borot fell to the ground in a mess of dented steel, among the screams of the boys inside... but still, it had managed to damage the robotic monster, and Sayaka shook off her stupor just in time to take advantage of this unexpected distraction.

"I never thought Boss and his friends could do it... but I'm not going to let this chance go to waste! **Koushiryoku Missile!**" the girl shouted. Her female robot stopped, pointed to the still-reeling Garada K7... and, with a low sound of activating reactors, its, er, breasts detached themselves from its torso, revealing themselves as the heads of a pair of red and white missiles which were immediately substituted by a new pair. In an instant, the strange projectiles covered the distance separating them from their target and struck, exploding on the Machine Beast! One of the missiles only struck the mechanical monster's shoulder, doing negligible damage... but the second one embedded itself in the already damaged area on the Garada K7's chest, reaching the vital circuits before exploding! The mechanical skeleton fell, its torso viciously blown apart, and exploded in a huge fireball and a large puff of brey smoke, metallic parts scattering everywhere!

On the Guul's main bridge, Baron Ashura and his soldiers remained open-mouthed! Never before that weak and normally useless robot had managed to hold its own against a Machine Beast, much less destroy it!

"WHAT?" the hermaphroditic Baron exclaimed. "This is absurd... one of my Machine Beasts was destroyed by that hunk of scrap metal?".

But their wonder was nothing compared to Sayaka's, who was looking wide-eyed at the blackened stain where the mechanical skeleton had been destroyed. Her disbelief soon turned into pride and joy, and the brown-haired girl stood up and pumped her fist in the air! "YAY! I did it! I destroyed that thing!" she exclaimed. "Hey, Boss, guys... I owe you one! Thanks for creating that distraction!"

On her comm screen, after a bit of static, Boss' blackened face appeared, and the boy rubbed his throbbing head with a hand, giving a thumbs-up sign with the other! "Heheheee... we had to do our part, didn't we, guys?" he said with a grin, as his dazed sidekicks slowly stood up again.

"Uuuugh... next time, sir, we might want to avoid high speeds..." Nuke murmured.

Mucha nodded, looking like he was going to be sick. "My stomach is going into my skull..."

"Oh, and quit crying like babies, you two pushovers!" Boss jokingly repriminded them. "We managed to get what we needed, right? Not exactly as we thought we would, but who the heck cares about that? We still beat that big hunk of scrap metal! Now get up, you two, we still have work to do!"

Sayaka put her hand in front of her mouth and giggled gently. No matter what happened, those three always remained the same klutzes they always were...

But the moment of joy and triumph was short-lived: Baron Ashura had not taken kindly to his/her Machine Beast's destruction, and wanted to make Sayaka and Boss pay for their audacity! "Damn you! I don't know how you brats did it, but you're not going to get lucky twice! Dabras M2! Toros D7! Take down those fools, and try not to get caught off guard!" the reanimated mummy ordered, his/her dual voice resound through Sayaka and Boss' comm devices. Sayaka immediately composed herself and grabbed the commands, before having her robot assume a guard position. Sadly, she knew Ashura was right... the unexpected had come to their aid, but they had two more Machine Beasts on their hands, and they couldn't count on getting lucky a second time...

The Dabras M2 immediately made clear that it was no easy prey: with a metallic roar, the twin-headed dragon opened its chestplate and shot a salvo of small missiles, as the Toros D7 rooted itself to the ground and marched towards the rising Boss Borot. Sayaka gasped and pulled her cloche towards her, but the dragon-like Machine Beast's missiles were too fast for her to dodge completely, and some of them struck the Aphrodite A's chest and abdomen, dangerously shaking it! Sayaka screamed in fear and managed to keep her robot upright, but she knew from the blaring red emergency lights that she was not going to last much longer. She spared a glance at one of her monitors, which showed the Toros D7 charging head-on towards the Boss Borot and sending it airborne! The clumsy robot crashed noisily a couple dozen metres away, covered in dents and its eyes turning into spirals. Sayaka's mind was a whirlwind of fear and desperate haste... she had to think of something to hold her own against those two monsters... but she knew her weapons were too limited to do so! She barely managed to dodge in time when the Dabras M2 opened both its mouths and shot two burning red beams towards her, scratching the female robot's shoulder and causing sparks to erupt from its thin armor!

"Aaaaagh!" Sayaka screamed. "We're not going to last much longer this way..."

On the other hand, Baron Ashura was delighted, watching in fierce joy as his/her Machine Beasts continued taking the Aphrodite A and the Boss Borot apart. His/her grin faded for just a second when the Aphrodite A managed to take advantage of a hole in the Dabras M2's defence and struck it with a powerful kick... but the draconic Machine Beast recovered quickly and retaliated with a powerful tail slam which shook the entire cockpit and bruised the young female pilot! The Toros D7, on the other hand, was not even facing resistance as it approached the downed Boss Borot, which Boss and his sidekicks were desperately trying to place upright once again...

"Heheheee... well done, my creatures! Put those foolish kids in their place!" Ashura laughed. "Finally, for this once, it's all smooth sailing! Dr. Hell will be so very pleased with me..."

A dark shadow, all too familiar in shape, flew over the Guul, and the undead baron froze immediately, the victorious grin immediately leaving his/her horrific face as a loud, arrogant and brave-sounding male voice blared from his console's speakers!

"Guess again, two-faced freak!" the newcomer said. The iron-masked soldiers started chatting fearfully among themselves, knowing all too well whose voice was that, and the implications of it... "Looks like heavy winds are going to blow you back to your boss to report your latest failure!"

If Ashura had any blood in his/her veins, he/she would have felt it run cold... and, as he/she pressed a few buttons on the console, the robot belonging to the boy who had just spoke appeared in all of its glory...

Ashura's worst nightmare had come true, as the black demonic-looking robot called Mazinger Z, with the infamous Kouji Kabuto at the helm, was floating in the air in front of his Guul, its Jet Scrander wings majestically spread and its fist closed and ready to strike. Both Machine Beasts were distracted from their targets and retreated slightly, looking at Mazinger Z as if it could somehow strike fear in their computerized brains... and at the same time, Sayaka and Boss breathed in relief!

"Kouji! In the nick of time!" the girl exclaimed, wiping her forehead.

"Ugh... just in time, Kabuto! If you had arrived later, I would have gotten all the fun myself!" Boss joked, not resisting the temptation to boast a little even if it was plain that he would have been defeated had the battle continued. Nuke and Mucha, behind him, murmured something in protest...

Kouji laughed briefly at his friend and rival's boastings. "Your definition of fun seems to be to get yourself smacked around like a soccer ball, but who am I to judge? Heheheee... now, everyone, I'll take care of this! You two retreat and support me, okay? I'm taking out these hunks of scrap metal!"

Ashura's dual face appeared on one of Mazinger Z's screens, glaring in cold rage at his hated enemy. "You mean to say that you want to take on both my Toros D7 and my Dabras M2... together with my Flying Fortress Guul, Kabuto brat? Don't make me laugh!" the reanimated mummy growled. "Your bravado will be your undoing this time, Kouji Kabuto!"

Kouji sighed, halfway between exasperated and bored. "Yeah, right... I heard this so many times, I already lost count. Wanna bet it will be no different this time!"

"Grrr... you and your big mouth, Kouji Kabuto!" Ashura growled, waving his/her staff. "This time, I'm shutting you up for good! Dabras M2, Toros D7... strike down Mazinger Z! Destroy it! I want it to vanish without a trace!"

With a pair of metallic roar, the ancient mechanical monsters turned to Mazinger Z, who slowly and calmly descended to face them. Once again, the Dabras M2 attacked first, shooting more missiles from its chest... but Kouji was unfazed and simply had Mazinger Z assume a guard position. In quick succession, the Machine Beast's missiles slammed on the Chou Goukin Z armor and exploded... but Mazinger Z was left intact, with only a few black spots on its armor to show that it had been hit at all!

"Well? That's all your beasts can do, Ashura?" Kouji asked mockingly. "I seem to recall they were stronger than this... by the way, Sayaka, as I was coming, I saw that there were four hostiles on the radar, and one of them disappeared before I could arrive... is there one more Machine Beast other than these?"

Despite her Aphrodite A being in less than optimal conditions, Sayaka smirked proudly. "Exactly, Kouji... and, believe it or not, me and Boss managed to destroy it! If you look around, you can see its pieces..." she answered, enjoying her friend's surprised expression. Kouji was always known for being quite sexist...

"Yeah, and it wasn't that hard, too..." Boss echoed after finally getting his robot to stand.

Kouji stood in surprised silence for a second, before answering. "Unbelievable... For once, Sayaka and Boss manage to destroy a Machine Beast on their own! Well, guys, I sure have to hand it you, so... congratulations!" he said, this time without his usual air of superiority. He was sincerely complimenting his friends!

Sayaka widened her eyes in embarassment and turned away, hoping Kouji hadn't noticed the blush on her cheeks... then, she composed herself and answered with a small smirk on her face. "Ooooh, that I didn't see coming! Kouji Kabuto actually complimenting his team mates? I wouldn't be surprised if the Fujiyama erupted tomorrow!"

"Hehee... now, let's not get too uppity, okay?" Kouji answered, waving his index finger.

The friendly discussion was interrupted by the Machine Beasts. As if they were feeling ignored, the Toros D7 fired a volley of its back quills, while the Dabras M2 started firing its lasers again. However, Mazinger Z was able to dodge the attacks with relative ease, moving about to shield the less combative robots with its own body.

"Hmph... Dr. Hell's flunkies should learn not to disturb people when they talk! **Rocket Punch!**" Kouji exclaimed. With incredible quickness despite its thick armor, Mazinger Z raised its right arm... and its fist detached from the rest of its arm and flew towards the hexagonal beast, scarlet flames erupting from a group of propulsors placed behind the wrist! The Toros D7 tried dodging, but Mazinger's signature move was too fast for it to dodge and struck the beast in its face, drawing an enraged roar and making it flinch! Then, the flying fist returned to Mazinger Z and placed itself back on its arm... and before the Machine Beast could recover, thedemonic robot's eyes lit up with a frightening yellow light!

"And now... **Photon Beam!**" the young pilot exclaimed. By simply pressing a button, Kouji shot an high-temperature yellow beam out of Mazinger Z's eyes, striking the stunned Toros D7 and burning a hole right through it! The mechanical monster freezed, as if it couldn't believe what happened to it... and then detonated in a satisfying blast, its charred remains scattering around for metres. Kouji smirked in self-complacement... but just then, a salvo of missiles struck Mazinger Z's side, leaving a mark and jarring the pilot in his seat! Undaunted by its companion's destruction, the Dabras M2 had attacked again.

"Ugh... you Machine Beasts just don't play by the rules, do you? Fine by me..." Kouji commented. "It takes more than that to give trouble to my Mazinger!"

The black robot turned around as if itching to avenge itself against that surprise attack, while the Dabras M2 reared back and shrieked in fury, preparing to let loose with another attack!

"Kouji! You alright?" Sayaka asked, her robot approaching Mazinger Z, who answered with a slight nod.

"I'm alright, Sayaka! You and Boss stay back, I'm taking care of this one!" the young boy answered, still confident. "I've blasted apart far stronger Machine Beasts than this one..."

"Hey, Kabuto! There! Take care!" Boss' gruff voice alerted Kouji to another danger, and the boy turned to Baron Ashura's Guul... noticing, much to his chagrin, that the flying fortress was charging its lasers...

"Damn you, Kouji Kabuto!" Ashura roared, for the umpteenth time in his/her unlife. "I have had quite enough of you! You'll never be an hindrance to my master Dr. Hell's plans again! Men, charge the lasers to maximum powers! Target Mazinger Z and its little friends! We're wiping them off the map this time!"

The iron-masked soldiers obeyed without hesitation, like well-programmed machines, and directed all the energy they could muster towards the lasers, as their leader glared hatefully at the trio of enemy robots, eager to see them destroyed...

"Dammit, just what I didn't need..." Kouji swore between serrated teeth, as he tried to dodge another on the Dabras M2's volley of missiles. "Mazinger Z can fly, but Sayaka and Boss wouldn't be able to dodge in time! I must stay here and protect them... while also defending against this guy! And to top it off, if I attack that Machine Beast, Sayaka and Boss remain exposed..."

"Kouji, look out! It's about to attack!" Sayaka warned, her feminine robot's finger pointing to the Dabras M2. The two-headed Machine Beast had opened both its mouths, charging an highly concentrated beam inside its maws...

"Oh no, you don't, you big hunk of metal!" Sayaka challenged, the Aphrodite A turning to the new menace. "**Koushiryoku Missile!** FIRE!"

Once again, the female robot's breast-missiles shot out, just as the Dabras M2 shot a pair of red beams against Mazinger Z. Sayaka's projectiles and the Machine Beast's lasers slammed againstthe missiles, causing them to explode in midair! But still, the girl had achieved her objective, as the mechanical monster, caught off guard by that move, backed away in an attempt to elaborate another attack strategy. That distraction was all Kouji needed. As the Flying Fortress Guul's lasers were still charging up, Mazinger Z turned to it and rose upwards, as the red plate on its chest began heating up, spreading an innatural heat all around...

"Thanks for the save, Sayaka! Guess I owe you one!" Kouji exclaimed, secretly surprised at how his companion of so many fights had managed to become useful two times in the same day. "And now, Ashura... you well know what awaits you, right? Hehee..." He smirked at the end of the sentence, as Mazinger Z spread its arms and pointed its burning chestplace against the fish-shaped flying fortress...

"Baron Ashura!" one of the iron-masked soldiers frantically shouted. "High... high energy concentration coming from Mazinger Z! We're under attack!"

The evil baron grit his/her teeth, knowing all too well what was going to happen. He had seen that particular attack far too often to be mistaken... "Damn it! Take evasive measures! Turn 30 degrees to the right and push the engine to its limits! We have to avoid it at all costs..."

"Energy charge reached its maximum!" another soldier exclaimed. "Brace for impact..."

Kouji stood up a little from his seat, quickly checked thatall systems were functioning... and then pressed a red button on his console, activating one of Mazinger Z's most powerful attacks! "Chew on this, Ashura! **BREAST... FIRE!**"

The effects were just as immediate as they were lethal! Mazinger Z's breastplate lit up completely, and an enormous beam of crimson, high-temperature energy erupted from it, striking the Flying Fortress Guul on its muzzle, melting and destroying several parts of the engine! An horrible screeching noise of melting steel was heard all around, and the internal chambers of the Guul were shaken as if they were hit with an earthquake, unbalancing many of the soldiers and Baron Ashura himself, who was forced to grip the control console with all his/her strength!

"Aaaargh! This... this was not part of the plan!" Ashura roared, tightly clawing at the control panel as Mazinger Z's Breast Fire hammered the Flying Fortress Guul without mercy. "That damn Mazinger Z... has hit the Guul's engines! Damage report!"

"S-sir..." an iron-masked soldier murmured as he tried to regain his footing. Countless red alarm lights were lighting up all over the control room, already filling with a thick black smoke smelling like burning rubber. "Engines down at 50 per cent! Propellers malfunctioning! We have to bail out!"

Ashura swore viciously. "Damn! And here I thought I had Mazinger beaten this time..."

Mazinger Z had turned its attention to the last remaining Machine Beast and had launched itself towards it, and the still-stunned Dabras M2 could not react quickly enough: the demonic robot was upon it in an istant, its scarlet red wings ominously shining under the rays of the sun!

"Your turn now, you brainless heap of scrap!" Kouji exclaimed as his robot attacked the two-headed monster! "**Scrander Cutter!**"

The Dabras M2 tried desperately to strike back with its claws, raising an arm and slashing at Mazinger Z... but, with incredible agility, the demonic robot dodged the blow and struck the Machine Beast's arm with the razor-sharp edge of its wings! A shower of electric sparks flew from the mechanical monster's limb as its hand was separated from the rest of its body... then, Mazinger Z turned back and slashed the foe's chest apart, cleaving it neatly in half before returning to the Aphrodite A's and the Boss Borot's side! The two halves of the Machine Beast floated in midair for a split second, crackling ominously...and finally blew up in a satisfying explosion, as Kouji allowed himself one of his cocksure grins.

"Well, that's about it!" he commented. "Now, Ashura, what about it? Have you had enough for today, or would you rather stay and..."

"Wait, Kouji!" Sayaka's sharp voice called out to him. "Look at your radar! There are more objects approaching! Four... no, five! And there's a particularly big one among 'em!"

Kouji's victorious grin died on his lips as Mazinger Z's pilot turned to his radar. In fact, Sayaka was right... there were five objects on the screen, the largest of which was preceding the other four, which were following it in an orderly pattern. Suspecting he already had a clue about what it could be, Kouji pressed a few buttons and looked at the images taken by the onboard cameras...

And swore through grit teeth when he saw that it was a second battleship just like Ashura's, with only a few cosmetic difference in hull coloration! It didn't take a genius to figure out who it could be...

"Dammit, we've got enough problems as it is..." the boy cursed. "Sayaka, Boss... we've got another Guul on our hands! And you can bet your ass Brocken is on board!"

"Oh, wonderful! We just needed that!" Boss lamented, as the Boss Borot was standing upright once again thanks to his and his underlings' joint efforts. Even Sayaka couldn't hold an exclamation of disappointment as the second Flying Fortress Guul floated in their view...

And just then, the girl noticed the four smaller creatures following the Guul... and, much to her surprise, she saw that they weren't Machine Beasts! They were smaller, looked more agile and reminded Sayaka of red-skinned pterodactyles, with a single unblinking yellow eye in their foreheads, and missiles mounted upon their membranous wings...

Sayaka gasped when she realized what those creatures actually were! The Mazinger Team had never directly fought them, but somefriends of theirs had talked a lot about them... "Kouji! Look there, behind that Guul! Aren't those things...?" she exclaimed.

"They're... Mechasaurus units!" an equally stunned Kouji answered. "They're Bado models, if I recall correctly! Ryouma and the other spoke to us about them... but what are they doing, following one of Dr. Hell's servants? Aren't they supposed to be part of the Hundred Demon Empire army?"

Boss gulped. "Damn... so that means the Hundred Demon Empire and Dr. Hell joined forces? This is terrible news!"

Mazinger Z's pilot nodded grimly in agreement. The Hundred Demon Empire, led by the tyrannical Emperor Brai, was another of the numerous enemies threatening humanity, and was supposedly after the Getter energy discovered by Professor Saotome, one of the many brilliant scientists working to make sure Earth could get through those times of crisis. Thanks to the efforts of the Team Getter, consisting of the hot blooded Ryouma Nagare, the stoic Jin Hayato and the boisterous Musashi Tomoe, the Hundred Demon Empire had been repeatedly repelled, especially thanks to the powerful Getter Robo created by professor Saotome... but still, if the reports coming from the Saotome labs were any indication, the demons and their armies were nothing to sneeze at!

"Boss, Sayaka! Get ready!" Kouji exclaimed, shaking himself from those thoughts. "We have to deal with these guys as well! Damn that Tetsuya, where is he now? Just now, we could use his help down here!"

"I dunno, Kouji..." Sayaka answered. "I sent a distress call to him too, and I hope he's here soon..."

Things were equally chaotic on board of AShura's damaged Guul, where numerous iron-masked soldiers were busy with makeshift repairs to keep the Flying Fortress afloat... and where Ashura him/herself was glaring at his comm screen, where his colleague and rival's face was gloating at him.

"I can see your... brilliant... strategy is not having the results you were hoping for, yah, Ashura?" Count Brocken, Dr. Hell's other lieutenant, mocked in his trademark German accent. Second for experience, but definitely not for importance, in Dr. Hell's army, Brocken was a tall and somewhat imposing man dressed in a decorated Gestapo uniform, with a Nazi cross etched on his chest, an old-model gun hoisted on his belt, and a sword sheathed on his other side, and he was also wearing knee-high black boots and blue pants. However, the most noticeable part of him was the head, with messy brown hair, a ferocious scowl on his face, a thin moustache and a looking-glass placed over his left eye...

But most unsettling of all was not the fact that his face looked so menacing... but the fact that his head was detached from his body and was being carried under his right arm like some kind of bag!

In fact, this could all be blamed on Count Brocken's origins. An SS officer fallen in combat during the Second World War, Brocken had been resurrected by Dr. Hell, who had managed to create a mechanical body for him and transform him into a cyborg, thereby ensuring his loyalty. For some reason, Dr. Hell had made it so that Brocken's head could be separated from his body with no ill consequences, creating a disquieting and quite macabre effect!

Ashura grunted in response. It was no secret that the two were bitter rivals. "Hmph! Don't you come and talk to me about strategies, I could give you a lesson in them!" he growled. "More to the point, what are those Mechasaurs doing following your Guul, huh?"

The former Nazi hierarch's expression turned into an uncertain frown. "Actually, that I don't know myself... As I was coming to support you, I found these strange birds, and they were idetified as friendlies by the radar... I don't have a clue why the Hundred Demon Empire wants to help us, but I'm not one to look at a gift horse in the mouth, yah? So... go, Mechasaurs! Show me what you can do against Mazinger Z and his little friends!"

Ashura got seated, eager to see what the robot pterodactyles were capable of doing... and the beasts immediately broke ranks and, in a spectacular aerial maneuver, they separated from Brocken's Guul and went straight for the Mazinger trio, preparing to shoot thir missiles. "All right, then, Brocken... let's see what the Hundred Demon Empire flunkies can do!" the hermaphroditic mummy murmured, his/her staff placed to the side.

"Take care! Those overgrown bats are upon us!" Boss exclaimed as the Bado began swooping down. The Aphrodite A has raised its guard, while Mazinger Z had spread its Jet Scrander's wings and had leapt to the attack, hoping to catch the flying reptiles off guard. But his hopes were soon dashed as the Bados responded by shooting a swarm of missiles from their membranous wings. The demonic robot nimbly dodged the first few, sending them to harmlessly blow on the ground below... then, a compartment opened on Mazinger Z's abdomen, revealing a small missile of his own!

"**Missile Punch!**" Kouji exclaimed, letting loose with a shot. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the agile winged Mechasaurs, who scattered just in time to avoid being hit. Just one second later, the Bado shot another salvo, and this time, Mazinger Z was hit in rapid succession and thrown to the side. Kouji grit his teeth, trying to stop himself from being thrown around his cockpit, and dropped his altitude, preparing a counterattack as soon as the beasts slowed down... but the flying Mechasaurs seemed to have predicted his strategy, and as two of them swooped down to keep him busy, other two flew to the almost-helpless Sayaka and Boss!

"Shit..." Kouji swore, zigzagging to avoid the attacks of the Bados who was keeping him on his toes. "Sayaka, Boss! Get away from here! Those damn beasts are too agile for you to hit!"

"We can see that, Kouji! My missiles won't hit them!" Sayaka shrieked in frustration, as another of her Koushiryoku Missiles missed the agile winged monsters, who in turn locked their targets and prepared to shoot their own missiles...

"**Koushiryoku Beam!**"

All of a sudden, two purple energy beams rained own on the nearest Mechasaur, blasting its left side apart and burning its wing off! The Bado could barely shriek in despair before it tilted to one side and exploded completely... and the flabbergasted Ashura and Brocken, who had been watching the scene with absolute glee, stood up from their command seats and looked to the side through the onboard cameras...

"**Great Boomerang!**"

They barely had time to understand what was going before a razor-sharp red boomerang struck the remaining Mechasaur, tearing the wings off its body! The mechanical pterodactyl shrieked and fell to the ground, electric sparks gushing off the remains of its wings, as the boomerang arched in midair and returned to its owner, who grabbed it... and reattached it to its chest!

"Ugh... can't believe it, nein! It's still them!" Brocken swore.

Ashura grunted again. "Well, believe it... they've come to ruin our day!"

"Jun! Tetsuya! We've glad to see you, things were looking pretty grim!" Sayaka exclaimed, turning to the newly arrived robots - two humanoid robots who looked like upgraded versions of Kouji and Sayaka's: on the left, the robot who had just thrown the boomerang, a larger, more agile-looking and much more powerful-looking version of Mazinger Z, with black armor, white arms, legs and abdomen, larger wings and a more complex headgear, who gave it an invincible countenance, even more demonic than its smaller "relative". Two small golden horns jutted out of the larger Mazinger's temples, and its cold white eyes were glaring at the enemies with terrifying severity!

Slightly behind the new Mazinger, another female robot, looking more advanced - and more pleasant - than the Aphrodite A was slowly flying towards the battlefield: taller than Sayaka's robot, its chromatic scheme was not that much different, except for the crimson color of its torso, forearms and legs, which served to make it look more streamlined than its predecessor. Even the face had a more feminine countenance, and its head was topped by what looked like shoulder-long brown hair. A small opening in its forehead allowed to see the cockpit, in which the pilot, Jun Honou, was sitting - a beautiful dark-skinned young woman with long brown hair, slightly older than Sayaka and of obvious mixed ancestry. She was wearing a tight-fitting red and white pilot suit, with an helmet shaped like a cowboy hat.

On the other hand, the pilot of the larger Mazinger was a dark-haired, tough-looking young man with an angular face and cold black eyes, sharing little if any at all of Kouji's bravado - despite the fact that he was just one or two years older. His piloting suit was similar to the Mazinger Z pilot's, with red torso, gloves and boots, but his helmet was more elongated and sported a protection for the chin. The young man's body was well-endowed with muscles, obviously from the incredibly tough training he had gone through for much of his life, and his cynical expression spoke of a child forced to grow up too quickly. The famous pilot of Great Mazinger, Tetsuya Tsurugi, was quite probably the best pilot the Photon Power Lab could count on, though Kouji was often irritated by his self-centered demeanor. In fact, the two weren't exactly friends...

"Kabuto, what's the situation?" Tetsuya asked, as his Great Mazinger and Jun's Venus A stood ready to fight both the remaining Mechasaur Bados, and the Flying Fortresses Guul, who were hovering in place as if their commanders were asking themselves what they could do to solve the new problem!

Kouji furrowed his brow. He hated to admit it, but his sempai had come at the right moment... those Mechasaurs and the two Guuls were giving him trouble! Still... he wouldn't be caught dead admitting it!

"Yeah, yeah... thanks, no need to get all patronizing!" Kouji answered. "You stay there and look, I'll take care of these guys!"

"Kouji! Is that how you're thankful?" Sayaka harshly repriminded the Mazinger Z pilot for his attitude.

Tetsuya, however, didn't seem to mind Kouji's arrogance, and just shook his head. "Hm... Try not to push yourselves beyond your limits, Kabuto. You can't do this with just Mazinger Z."

"WHAT? What are you trying to say, let's hear it! You're saying that my Mazinger Z is weaker than Great Mazinger?" the younger boy challenged.

Before the two could get carried away, Jun decided to put an end to the pointless bickering. "Cut it out, you two!" she exclaimed. "We're in the middle of a battle, and the Neo Zeon forces are probably already after us! We have to end this battle now!"

"I know, no need for you to remind me." Tetsuya answered harshly. The two remaining Mechasaurs were heading towards Great Mazinger and Venus A at breakneck speed, and both Flying Fortresses had shot a salvo of missiles, trying to destroy the newcoming robots before they could get dangerous. Used to similar situations, Tetsuya glared coldly at the attacking force... then, he raised Great Mazinger's right arm and pointed its index finger to the sky, which immediately began to be covered in stormclouds out of nowhere! The Venus A stepped back a few metres, knowing what would happen...

...and Great Mazinger went in for the kill!

"**Thunder Break!**" Tetsuya exclaimed. An enormous bolt of azure-white energy descended from the clouds above and fell, with a deafening crackle, on Great Mazinger's raised finger, which absorbed the electricity... then, with a brief movement of its arm, the demonic robot pointed his crackling finger at his enemies and shot a devastating thunderbolt, which tore through the air and struck the remaining Bados, incinerating them like tissue paper before they could even scream! The bolt proceeded on its path and scraped the hull of Ashura's Guul, before striking Brocken's Flying Fortress on the conjuction between the main body and the right wing, in a volley of azure sparks!

"AAAAAAARGH!" the former Nazi hierarch screamed, almost dropping his disembodied head! The Thunder Break had torn apart the Flying Fortress' side, showing the underlying circuits, and a cloud of thick grey smoke was emanating from the damaged parts! "This... this is bad, let's retreat! We can't do morethan this, nein!"

"I dislike having to agree with you, but we have no choice..." Ashura growled, before turning to his sworn enemies, as the skies cleared above them. "Kabuto! Tsurugi! It won't end like this, you can bank on it! Next time, we will get our revenge!"

The two damaged Flying Fortresses turned back and flew away at their maximum speed, pieces of scrap metal and clouds of black smoke trailing behind them. Mazinger Z tried to take flight and pursue them, but Great Mazinger landed beside him and stopped him with a gesture of its arm.

"That could be a trap, Kabuto." Tetsuya coldly said. "It could be a false retreat to another ambush, for all we know, and our mission is just a recon anyway. Risking it all isn't worth it."

Mazinger Z stood firm for a moment, as Kouji seethed in anger. How could Tetsuya not understand that, if they could take out the two enemy generals, Dr. Hell would have suffered a major blow? It was a great chance, and they were passing it up like that? Howver, Tetsuya was still Kouji's sempai, so the younger boy reluctantly agreed. "Alright..." he murmured venomously.

"Kouji, Sayaka, Boss... is everyone alright?" Jun asked as he landed her Venus A. "We were kind of far from here when we got your distress call, so we took some time."

Sayaka nodded and smiled to her friend. "Doesn't matter, Jun, we still managed to hold our own! We only started to have problems when those Mechasaur robots showed up, we really didn't see that one coming!" she commented, looking at the scattered mechanical parts. "However, we'd better get away from here. With all the ruckus we've made, I'd be surprised if Neo Zeon had not located us. We'll be back for that 'meteor' later."

"Much as I don't like the idea, I guess that's the only thing we can really do..." Boss murmured, as his robot's arms crossed on its barrel-like chest in annoyance, and a pulsating vein comically popped up on its forehead, anime-style! "But I'd still like to know what some Mechasaurs were doing among Dr. Hell's beasts!"

"We can talk about this later." Tetsuya cut him off. "For now, let's go back to the Photon Power Lab and report."

Kouji cleared his throat. "And maybe we should also contact the Saotome Labs and inform Ryouma and the others of what happened, right? If there are Mechasaurs around, it's something that concerns them too!"

"Prof. Kabuto will have the final say." the older boy cut the discussion short, as both Mazingers and the Venus A begin flying back to their base, Aphrodite A and Boss Borot following them on foot. "I agree that the situation is getting more complicated than we thought, though. An alliance between Dr. Hell and the Hundred Demon Empire would be a threat to everyone."

Kouji rolled his eyes and snickered. At least, there was something they both agreed on...

TO BE CONTINUED...

oooooooooo

**Author's Note: And here we are... looks like the enemies of the Mazinger Team and the Getter Team are about to join forces, which would cause trouble to pretty much everyone! And about the strange object falling on Earth, which has been discussed in this chapter... you'll see what it is, and I think some of you will be surprised!**

**Next episode will be a villain episode, as we find out what's brewing on Dr. Hell's side... and see how things develop! I hope to be able to write the new chapter soon, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! See you later!**


	3. Shadowed Alliances

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S ZERO**

**Welcome back, everyone! I tried to update my story as fast as possible, my other projects and my everyday duties permitting... therefore, I am proud to present you with my new chapter!**

**This will be a villain-centered episode, dealing with the enemies of the Mazinger Team... Dr. Hell and his two most trusted lieutenants, Ashura and Brocken. A few important things will be foreshadowed in this chapter, and I can assure you that what will follow from this will be quite devastating! I hope it will be satisfying, and I wish you happy reading!**

**Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter! Some of my readers will no doubt be pleased to see which series will make their debut there...**

**Chapter 3 - Shadowed Alliances**

Bardos Island, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, was not exactly what a sane individual would call a nice place: little more than a huge rocky spike protruding from stormy water, sculpted in the form of an enraged human face, it was constantly scoured by oceanic squalls, and the skies above it never cleared, and was constantly covered with black clouds peppering the sea with lightning and thunder. Winds howled incessantly, crashing against the razor-sharp reefs, and even going as far as to rip away small trees that had somehow managed to grow in such inhospitable terrain. Even just by looking at it from a certain distance, it was clear that it was a place inimical to any form of life...

And yet, the storm raging outside of it would have seemed almost like a tame summer breeze to two of the cursed island's inhabitants, at least when compared to what their superior had in store for them...

In fact, in a secret base excavated in the guts of the great rock towering over the whole island...

"YOU FOOLS! You have failed me AGAIN!"

Baron Ashura and Count Brocken winced in fear as their superior's shaking and yet commanding voice struck their ears, as the man in question glared down upon them from a marble throne in the dimly-illuminated main room of the base. Neither of the two was having good expectations... their mission, in theory, should have been simple recon, and shouldn't have involved a fight with the Mazinger Team or anyone else - they only had to discover the true nature of the mysterious object that had briefly appeared near Bardos Island, then come back to report their findings. Instead, they had involved themselves in a battle and - like always - they had come back defeated.

The voice so bitterly repriminding the two generals belonged to the cloaked, staff-wielding figure standing upon the throne's steps: an incredibly old, insane-looking man that perfectly represented the "mad scientist" archetype, with long, unkempt white hair framing a dark, embittered face, wrinkled skin the colour of an ancient scroll, and bloodshot eyes filled with madness. His feverish, angered face was further decorated by a long white beard reaching his midriff and by a spiky moustache, and his body was wrapped in a midnight-black cloak, under which one could make out a dark green uniform complete with gloves and boots, without any decoration or notable characteristics. In his right hand, the man was holding a gnarled staff, similar to the one Baron Ashura was using to command his Machine Beasts, and his posture and behaviour only reinforced the air of megalomania hanging about him...

Which was only natural, after all, as the man in question was none other than the infamous Dr. Hell, an evil scientist that had been expelled from the scientific community after having been discovered performing illegal experiments with the gigantic artifacts retrieved on Rhodes Island in an expedition he had been part of long ago. An expedition which also included Dr. Juzo Kabuto, the man who would later become the grandfather of his sworn enemy Kouji Kabuto! Dr. Kabuto had expressed doubts about reactivating the dangerous constructs that had been excavated - the same constructs who would later be known and feared throughout the world as the Machine Beasts - but Dr. Hell had paid him no heed, and had continued his experiments, moved by an unholy furor.

And the results... well, the results were visible to the eyes of the whole world!

"We..." Baron Ashura began timidly, bowing in apology to his/her master. "We are mortified about this, our lord Dr. Hell... we... we thought that would be a great chance to catch the Mazinger Team off guard... and I had almost managed to take out the little girl and the fat idiot before the accursed Kouji Kabuto came and ruined everything!"

"Hold on a second there, Ashura!" Brocken interjected, his voice toughened with an heavy German accent. "If memory serves, you were the only one of us two who wanted to attack them, even if it meant contradicting orders... You said I could continue recon while you eliminated our enemies, yah?"

Ashura glared at his/her rival. "Tch, you're one to talk now! I've got a good memory too, for your information, and I remember that you were in agreement with that!" he/she fiercely growled. "So, why have you abandoned the mission to follow me? I could do that on my own!"

The former Nazi hierarch shrugged. "Yah, I saw that, in fact... If I didn't intervene with the Mechasaurs, Mazinger Z would have thrown you back in the grave you crawled from... not that this would have been a great loss, nein!" he shot back in bitter sarcasm.

"How dare you, you detachable brain?" Ashura insulted back, advancing threateningly towards Brocken. "Just try and repeat that, if you dare..."

"ENOUGH, YOU TWO!" Dr. Hell thundered, hitting the pavement with his staff. The resulting noise echoed like thunder in the room and caused his two subordinates to hop in fear. "I have had enough of your childish squabbles! I do not care who started this... you failed the mission, and that's all! You can't even complete such a simple mission!"

Immediately, Ashura and Brocken stopped quarreling and turned to their lord, bowing in submission and respect. "P-please... forgive us, Dr. Hell!" they exclaimed in unison.

The old scientist wheezed, his tirade having spent him quite a bit... then, he regained his composure and breathed in and out, which served to calm him down a little. The anger in both his face and voice was substituted with a reflextive, almost solemn expression, as he began pacing back and forth in front of his throne, his staff scraping the ground as he did so. After a few seconds, in which Ashura and Brocken seemed to be asking themselves what was going to happen, their leader closed his eyes and began narrating.

"Long... long ago..." Dr. Hell said, his coarse voice riverberating on the walls. "...a still unknown civilization thrived... a civilization gifted with superior intelligence and knowledge... the Mycene Empire, who disappeared after a still-unclear catastrophe, only leaving the ruins of their glorious empire behind... as well as the weapons that had allowed them to take control of all the known world. It was a civilization whose technological knowledge was comparable to that of today's humanity... and thanks to this, the Myceneians had managed to create veritable living weapons, greater than anything that had ever been seen, and powerful enough to overwhelm any opposing army in seconds! The one currently known as Machine Beasts, the mighty weapons these superior people left behind after their disappearence!"

Ashura and Brocken stood in silence, intently listening to their lord's tale. It was a tale they had already heard a number of times in their unlife, but they always liked it.

"For centuries... millennia... these weapons remained entombed, hidden from the eyes of the world..." Dr. Hell continued, going from his earlier calm to an ever-increasing excitement, as it always was when the topic veered to that. "Until an archelogic expedition on Rhodes Island discovered them, together with all the mysteries their civilization had shrouded itself in! Oh, that was a glorious day for all the scientific world! Researchers from all around the world gatheredat RHodes to research this unknown population, and answer the questions the discovery had raised together with wat remained of the Myceneian cities... and among these, myself... and my colleague, Juzo Kabuto!"

Dr. Hell grits his teeth at the mention of his hated enemy, and his skinny hands convulsively gripped his staff. "As soon as I saw those steel colossi lying intact in front of me, indifferent to the insults of time... a new world opened up in front of me! I understood that, if we humans had mastered the secrets of the Myceneians... science could soar over new territories, doing things that had been thought impossible until then... we could have created a new world! But that idiot Kabuto... affirmed that the Myceneian science could be dangerous, and had to be used carefully... in particular, he said that the Machine Beasts should never be revived, despite the fact that we had all the necessary knowledge to do that! Hah! That fool... how can a scientist be so blind as not to see the new possibilities opening uo in front of him? I couldn't allow that... I had to show the world the possibilities that Myceneian science offered us! So, I kept doing research in secret, unveiling one discovery after the other... until I was discovered doing so-called 'illegal' experiments, and I was cast out the scientific community!"

In rage, Dr. Hell banged on the pavement again. "Those fools took away all I had... they ridiculed me, they tried to destroy my research and they left me on the streets to die miserably! But I... I survived, and I came back to have my revenge! Hah! They laughed at me when I said I could bring the dead back to life..." The scientist interrupted himself and pointed to his two most trusted lieutenants with his free hand. "You two! You two, are you not the tangible proof of the success of my research, perhaps?"

The expression on Count Brocken's discorporated head became solemn, and the cyborg bowed respectfully to his master. "Yah, Doktor Hell... and for this, our loyalty to you has no conditions." he affirmed.

"We will serve you and protect you even at the cost of our own lives." Ashura went on, bowing as well. As much as the two were bitter rivals, this was something both of them agreed on.

Dr. Hell seemed to calm down slightly after hearing his lieutenants' words, and resumed pacing back and forth in front of his throne, breathing in slowly and wheezingly. Then, with more composure but equal fervor, he continued his tale. "And this is why... this is why I want to get my revenge! Thanks to the Myceneians' superior technology, I could rebuild and reactivate the Machine Beasts, thus creating an unstoppable army with which I will get the respect and power I deserve! But there is still... that damn thorn in my side... those two Mazingers created by the accursed Juzo Kabuto, and piloted by his grandson Kouji and by Tetsuya Tsurugi! Despite all my plans... despite my army's power... they continue subverting me! Oh, but one day, their luck will run out! Not too far in the future, Mazinger Z and the Great Mazinger will fall before my power, and the world will have to acknowledge me as their sovereign! I, Dr. Hell, will be the ruler of all the known world, just like the Myceneians were in the past!"

A thunder emphasized the mad scientist's ramblings, and lightning cast some disquieting shadows on Dr. Hell and his sinister servants, who remained still in their place in silent contemplation, as their leader raised his staff in the air in a commanding gesture. Slowly, with a rasping wheeze, the scientist sat back on his throne, angrily thinking of a possible way to remove the obstacles that for far too long already had been in his way. Silence once again fall on the huge hollow room, only interrupted by the howling winds... and by the heavy steps of an iron-masked soldier respectfully approaching the scientist and his two lieutenants.

Ashura was the first one to acknowledge the soldier's presence, and he/she turned to him, affixing him with a cruel glare that his/her dual face only made more disquieting, as it mixed the coldness of the female half with the seeming rage of the male one.

"What is the matter, now?" the evil baron asked. "There better be a more than valid reason for this interruption..."

Under his superiors' chilling gazes, the masked soldier fell on one knee. "Dr. Hell... Baron Ashura, Count Brocken... I regret to come to you right now... but we have just been hailed... by someone who would have some words with you, my lord and master!" he said shakily, well knowing how terrifying could Dr. Hell's rages get when he was given bad news or was simply in a bad mood...

Dr. Hell frowned in suspicion. It wasn't often that someone wanted to confer with him... something was definitely up with that, and he wouldn't have been surprised if that had something to do with his lieutenants' battle against the Mazinger Team. "Someone wants to speak to me?" he hoarsely asked. "And... who would that be, exactly?"

The soldier gulped nervously. "THat... That would be Emperor Brai, my lord! The sovereign of the Hundred Demon Empire!"

The suspicion in Dr. Hell and his helpers was only deepened by those news. So it was just like Dr. Hell had imagined... according to the report Ashura and Brocken had given of the battle, as Brocken was going to support Ashura, his Guul had been followed by a small swarm of Bado-type Mechasaur units, all of which had been flagged as friendly. It was obvious that the Hundred Demon Empire had sent them for an important motive... and Dr. Hell had a feeling this could turn things around for him and his men...

"Emperor Brai, huh?" Hell growled, his bony finger scratching at his unkempt beard. "Fine, then... patch him through to me! I will personally see to this... unpredicted turn of events!"

The iron-masked soldier bowed once again and, secretly happy of having escaped his sovereign's ire, exited the room as fast as he possibly could while still remaining respectful, as his superiors got ready to answer the unexpected call of the demonic emperor. A few seconds later, as fate would have had it, a large black screen slowly lowered itself from the ceiling, placing itself just in front of the mad scientist and his generals, flickered for a few instants, and finally stabilized, showing the menacing, smirking face of the Hundred Demons' absolute monarch, complete with a bifurcated black beard hanging from his chin. His orange skin and his wild purple hair created a strange contrast that denounced Brai as clearly something more than a human being, which was even more emphasized by a pair of dagger-like curved horns sprouting from his forehead! Brai, dressed in his red uniform with golden frills and black boots, waited for the signal to be stabilized before starting his speech.

"My deepest regards, Dr. Hell. I trust my visit does not come in an inappropriate moment." the bulky demon emperor greeted, with an impeccably polite yet condescending tone and a slight grin on his face. "Anyhow, while I don't care much for... humans... I still am honored to meet one of the greatest scientific geniuses the Earth has ever known, Dr. Hell."

Brocken and Ashura frowned again, showing their impatience towards the demon emperor's verbose speech... and even their leader showed little interest in beating the bush. "Let's just skip the introductions, Emperor Brai, and get strainght to the meat of the conversation... namely, the reason why you contacted me. There has never been any collaboration between us, so... why did you send those Mechasaurs to interfere in my lieutenants' battle?" he asked directly, his beady, cruel eyes looking directly into Brai's yellow irises... and the demonic ruler, not intimidated in the least, briefly chuckled.

"Hehehee... straight to the point, right? As you prefer, I will say things the way they are without useless embellishments!" he answered. At a simple gesture of his head, the camera zoomed out from his face, showing that Brai was seated on a throne of white-azure stone, a sword in his hands and held against the ground. To his side, stood a tall and lanky yellow-skinned demon in a military uniform, who closely resembled - aside from his small angular horns and the longer, wilder hair - the infamous German dictator Adolf Hitler, complete with the short black moustache.

Brocken could not resist and produced a Nazi salute. "_Heil, Fuhrer!_" the cyborg exclained in slight embarass, while Ashura shook his/her head and murmured something under his/her breath.

"You already know me, I dare say..." Brai went on confidently. "And... this Oni to my side is my right-hand-man and military advisor, Marshall Hidler, the officer in charge of the attacks against the Saotome Labs and of the creation of new Mechasaurs and Mecha Onis."

With a barely-visible grin, Hidler bowed almost to a right angle. "Honored to make your acquaintance, gentlemen!"

Brai nodded in approval and continued with his speech. "As for what concerns the motive of this... reunion, and the reason why I sent those Mechasaurs to assist you in your battle, it's all very simple, really." he declared. "You see, Dr. Hell... while the relationships between us have always resolved in more or less complete indifference, I thought that an alliance between us and other factions would give us the support we need to take out those thorns in our side, namely Getter Robot, Mazinger Z, Voltes V... and many other, which I won't be listing for the sake of brevity. If we were to put aside our differences, at least temporarily, and to join forces... I'm convinced that our enemies would not stand a chance! After all, they barely scraped through against a single one of us... let us imagine what we could do if we fought together!"

"Are... are you proposing an alliance to us, Emperor Brai?" Ashura asked in incredulity, his/her forehead wrinkling dangerously.

"Hah! That is preposterous! Do you actually believe we need to ally ourselves with you, to destroy Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger and the Photon Power Lab once and for all?" Brocken shot back. "We are not that foolish... we well know that you are planning to..."

Dr. Hell harshly hits the floor with his gnarled staff, creating a sudden noise that forced the Count to hold his tongue. "Silence, Brocken! Speak when it is your turn to do so!" the mad scientist thundered, affixing the former Nazi hierarch wth a death glare. Brocken grit his teeth and stepped backwards, raising a hand in front of himself in an apologetic gesture.

"I... I am sorry, Doktor Hell..." he nervously murmured. Dr. Hell kept staring ferociously at him for a while, then turned his attention to Emperor Brai and Marshall Hidler once more. A fierce, almost predatory grin appeared on the mad scientist's wrinkled lips as he answered Brai's invitation.

"I think... this is actually an intriguing idea, Emperor Brai! Pray, do continue..." he answered.

The demonic emperor chuckled in satisfaction, as he stood up fom his throne and walked towards a large table shrouded in darkness, Hidler not far behind him. Even with the darkness, though, it was still easy to see that there already were a few mysterious people seated at the table. "Ooooh, very well, Dr. Hell. Now that is an excellent and extremely wise choice. As you can plainly see, you are not the only ones I extended this offer to. Others, before you, have already expressed interest in this alliance. If you'd like to have a look to confirm yourself..."

As Brai motioned with his arm, the camera panned to the conference table, hinting at a few of the mysterious individuals who were seated around it. It was still difficult to see who they were, but still, Dr. Hell, Ashura and Brocken could see that one of them closely resembled an Oni of the Hundred Demon Empire, considering even he sported a pair of long, curved horns... yet, he looked younger and more aristocratic than Brai and his right-hand-man, and he was dressing more elegantly, almost regally, while his demeanor expressed pride, self-assuredness... and just a vague hint of silent rage.

To his side, there was a more alien-looking, while still majestic, individual, who looked like a humanoid eagle with a wild, messy plumage, and holding a long trident in one of his clawed hands. The shadowed individuals sent back at Dr. Hell a cold, hardly readable stare - it was clear that they weren't one hundred per cent confident about Brai's plan themselves, but they seemed to be willing to go along with it for now...

A few seconds passed in total silence... and finally, another bolt ripped through the dark skies, and a thunderclap that caused the screen to flicker as the camera went back to Brai and Hidler, who were standing near the table, waiting for the other part's response. Their eyes were affixed on the old scientist and his minions, silently asking for a confirmation or a refusal...

And finally, Dr. Hell smirked. "Truly interesting, Emperor Brai... therefore, it's a deal! Finally, by joining our forces, we'll crush those gnats who annoyed us for so long! Ashura, Brocken! This is my final decision, and I will not tolerate insubordinations! Is that clear?" he finally exclaimed, his staff pointing to his two lieutenant before they could say anything.

"Yah, doktor Hell... it is clear..." Brocken answered in clear reluctance.

"Certainly, Dr. Hell..." Ashura echoed. He/she was not sold on the idea him/herself, but he/she had never been the type to question Dr. Hell's decisions...

Onscreen, Emperor Brai gripped his hand into a fist, and his grin widened, showing his sharp canines. "Excellent! I knew we could come to an understanding... Dr. Hell!"

oooooooooo

TO BE CONTINUED...

**Author's Note: And so, we see the first villain team-up of this crossover, even though we haven't seen half of those partecipating in it... Whoever thinks he or she has recognized the other two people seated at the table, is welcome to try and guess! ^_^**

**Next episode, we'll be going up in space, to see a few young people being suddenly caught up in a dirty war! There is tension among the space colonies... and a desperate operation on the Earth Union's part could end up having terrible consequences for both Earthnoids and Spacenoids!**

**And before you ask... yes, that means we'll be seeing the characters of Gundam SEED, Metal Armor Dragonar and (partly) Gundam ZZ!**

**Well, that will be all! I hope this was an interesting chapter... and I hope I'll be able to update soon!**


	4. Violated Neutrality

**Chapter 4 - Violated Neutrality **

_LUNAR CHRONOLOGY_

_Space Century 98 - As part of a great program for the expansion of the human race in space, in order to solve the problems of overpopulation, the first permanent settlement on the lunar surface are created. _

_Year 104 - Professor Lang Plato completes the first Metal Worker, a giant antropomorphic robot designed for heavy works, in order to better exploit the lunar soil, rich in gold and other valuable raw materials for industry and technology. With the Metal Worker going in mass production, the Moon begins to grow economically at an exponential rate. _

_Year 130 - The lunar colonies have reached a level of welfare equal if not superior, to that of Earth, and their technology is now advanced in all fields. In conjunction with the rise of tensions between the Earth and the Principality of Zeon, Lunar politics were consolidated around the lunar figure of Marshall Guiltorre Iskandar, who claimed that the Moon had the right to enjoy more independence from Earth. _

_Year 132 - Guiltorre becomes governor of the lunar colonies. The generations born on the moon do not feel that there is any link with the Earth, instead seeing it with hostility because of its oppressive methods and its constant meddling in lunar politics and economy. _

_Year 133 - To avoid landing operations of transport vehicles carrying raw materials from the Moon to Earth and the colonies, the lunar colonists begin the construction of the Mass Driver, a gigantic device allowing the lunar colonists to simply 'shoot' the raw materials excavated from the lunar soil into space. Some Earth politicians believe that the Mass Driver could become a dangerous weapon aimed towards Earth, and submit a formal complaint to marshall Guiltorre. All complaints are ignored, and Guiltorre's policy continues on its way. _

_Year 134 - Guiltorre institutionalizes an obligatory entry visa and a limited stay on the lunar colonies for the inhabitants of Earth, while much less restrictive measures are applied to the inhabitants of the space colonies. Alliance between the lunar colonies and the refugees of Neo Zeon on the mining asteroid Axis, under the leadership of General Maharaja Kahn. Diplomatic crisis between the Moon and Earth. _

_Year 135 - The Mass Driver is completed. Guiltorre, his support from lunar public opinion boosted, declares the independence of the Moon colonies as Unified Giganos Empire. In his speeches, Guiltorre clearly shows his political and racial vision, submitting that Giganos Empire is intended as a means for a new step in human evolution. In secret, Giganos Empire converts much of its advanced Metal Worker technologies to create an army of war machines known as Metal Armor. Maharaja Kahn passes away, and his teenage daughter Haman claims leadership of Axis and reinforces the friendly relationship between Neo Zeon and Giganos. _

_Year 137 - Tragedies of the Bloody Valentine and Bunch 30. The colonial alliance called ZAFT add its military strength to that of Neo Zeon and Giganos Empire. After the destruction of the Titans and the Foundation Romefeller, this triumvirate becomes a major power in the Earth Sphere. _

_Year 138 - The Mass Driver is aimed towards Earth_.

oooooooooo

Lunar colonies, year 138 Space Century. A large room in Giganos Empire's main government complex, a large window on the back wall from which the best view of the planet Earth, which stood out, in all its majesty, against the backdrop of the gray lunar soil and the infinite black space, could be enjoyed, the landscape only occasionally disturbed by a few floating pods or a shuttle that was leaving the headquarters from the hangars.

Guiltorre Marshal, governor of the young colonial nation, a tall and charismatic man in his sixties, with short gray hair, a stern face that to have been seemed carved in iron, and dressed in a manner quite similar to a high-ranking military officer of the nineteenth century, with black cloak and boots, and adorned with military stripes pinned on his chest, loved this sight. Earth was the planet on which he was born, and that even today, billion of years after its birth, continued to nurture life, the only planet in the Solar System to be capable of such an impressive feat. Sure, humanity might have colonized other worlds... the Moon... Mars... but only Earth kept on being habitable without the need for humans to do anything to bend her nature to their will. A veritable miracle, unique in all creation and worthy of admiration...

Giganos' governor sighed grimly, thinking back of the delicate situation he was in. Indeed, Earth was a truly wondrous planet... but even such an impressive vistawas not enough to relax Guiltorre and distract him from the problems that were occupying his thoughts at that moment: His army of Metal Armors, aided by Neo Zeon and ZAFT's Mobile Suits, his allies ever since the war had first started, had managed to match the Earth Union's more numerous but technologically inferior forces with almost disappointing ease, at least for the moment... and everything led to believe that final victory in this war was firmly on Giganos' side and the Earth Union would have soon been overthrown.

Unfortunately for him, fate had other plans.

Only two days before, the Giganos Imperial Guard (the elite troops of Giganos' army)had reported that a squadron of Earth Union Mobile Suits had managed to ambush a group of Imperial cargo ships. The element of surprise had managed to earn the Earth Union victory in this battle, and the Union had managed to capture three new Metal Armor models, the mighty D-Modules, also codenamed Dragonar... all of which were, at that moment, en route towards Earth on a Union battleship. Such an incident would surely have disastrous consequences for the Empire he had led so firmly until then, if left unchecked. Once the three Dragonar units were in Union territory, it was only a matter of time before the Earth forces could reverse engineer the technology used to create them, and create their own army of Metal Armors, turning the tide of the war! Not even the Mass Driver, whose use even now Guiltorre was loathe to authorize, would have been enough of a deterrent, at that point...

Just as those Blue Cosmos fanatics used to say, quantity has a quality all of its own. During the One Year War, the old Earth Federation had managed to use their more numerous GMs and support vehicles to counter the more powerful and versatile Mobile Suits of the Principality of Zeon. Sure here was the famed RX-78 Gundam, but it was just one robot. It could't possibly have turned the tide of the war all by itself, though it definitely was a major boost for the Federation's morale...

Guiltorre shook his head and sat down at his desk, examining the files that had been recently sent to him, a table lamp the only thing allowing him to see what was written on them. Once again, no good news. The Giganos intelligence division had managed to locate the Dragonars and the ship carrying them... but that was exactly the problem. Considering where the Earth forces had gone to hide the precious load, the triumvirate couldn't afford to act impulsively, in order not to compromise their alliances among the colonies...

A sound from the flat screen on his right distracted Guiltorre from his reverie, and the Giganos governor raised his head from the paperwork to answer the call. The officer appearing on the screen in that moment did a proper military salute and waited for his governor to allow him to go on, before he started speaking.

"Marshall Guiltorre, Your Excellency..." the officer began. "I beg your pardon for the disturbance, but a very urgent call is coming in from our allies, with regards to the Dragonar issue. Lady Hamaan and Chairman Zala have just received important news from their intelligence divisions, and wish to communicate them directly to you."

Guiltorre frowned slightly. Whatever those news were, if the reports he had received were true, it wouldn't have changed much anyway... Still, he wasn't the kind of man to simply dismiss a call from his closest allies, so he nodded in authorization. "Very well then. Patch the communications through to my office. I shall personally update Lady Hamaan and Chairman Zala on the latest developments."

The soldier repeated the earlier salute and disappeared from the screen, leaving it in static for a short while, before two more comm windows opened, each one containing the silhoutted image of one of the people the soldier had just spoken of...

On the left of the screen, there was a young woman in her earliest twenties, with flowing magenta hair elegantly cascading on her shoulders, highlighted by her black dress and by the golden headgear partially covering her face, giving her a noble countenance. Her piercing eyes were the colour of emeralds, and were planted in a cold, calculating face... it looked as if the young woman could simply glance into Guiltorre's mind and read his innermost thoughts. But despite these unsettling features, the young woman boasted an incredibly charismatic presence, and despite the sense of danger emanating from her frame, she still managed to feel magnetic and alluring. Of course, this was none else than Hamaan Kahn, the de facto ruler of Neo Zeon, a respected and feared personality who, despite her young age, was more than capable of moving in the complex maze of alliances and power plays of the conflict. Guiltorre knew for certain that she had managed to alternatively gain the alliance of both the Titans and the AEUG...

The man on the right, on the other hand, was probably close to fifty years old, but his grim face, already marred by wrinkles, and his greying hair gave the impression of someone slightly older. He was wearing a purple uniform, going into black on his shoulders, the kind of uniform reserved for high-standing ZAFT politicians... and in fact, this was no surprise, considering this man was Patrick Zala, Chairman of ZAFT's Defense Committee and member of ZAFT's Supreme Council. His demeanor looked calm and collected, but there was something, deep in his grey eyes, which would have chilled even the most hardened soldiers. As if fire and ice were shining inside of them at the same time, it was possible to perceive a fierce determination inside of them. In fact, Guiltorre reflected, Zala had always been one of the most hard-lined in his policy towards Earth, and things had only gotten worse after the Bloody Valentine tragedy, a little more than one year ago: among the more than two hundred thousand Coordinators who had been killed by the Earth Union's nuclear missiles, there was Lenore, Patrick's beloved wife...

"Chairman Zala. Lady Hamaan. It is a honour to be talking to you." Guiltorre politely greeted them, his hands placed in front of him on his desk. "I had been waiting for your call, and I trust no more problem have arisen, in the brief period of time after our latest meeting."

Patrick answered first, with a barely noticeable nod of his head. "Greetings as well. No problems as of now, Excellency Guiltorre. The situation, in ZAFT's Supreme Council, seems to be stable at the moment, and troop morale is high."

"The same can be said of Neo Zeon." Haman went on, her voice sounding almost dangerously calm. "At the moment, most of our army is fighting on Earth or in the farther colonies, wherewe're hoping to enlarge our sphere of alliances. Furthermore, we're still fighting the last remaining stragglers of the AEUG." The young woman pronounced the last part with a small hint of regret - after all, both Neo Zeon and the AEUG had opposed the Titans, and Haman thought it was too bad that their ends were now diverging...

Guiltorre nodded in satisfaction. "I am glad to hear that. Therefore, if there are no more pressing matters to attend to, let us discuss the problem at hand." he said, receiving affirmative nods from both of his 'guests'. "Good. I guess you are calling me with regards to the recapture of the D-Modules... Giganos' latest project, also known by the codename of Dragonar."

"Indeed." Zala confirmed. "We trust we have some informations that could prove vital to their recovery. We have received trustworthy reports attesting, beyond any reasonable doubts, the position of the Earth Union cargo ship carrying the new modules."

"I thank you for your aid, Chairman Zala... yet, I regret to inform you that, no earlier than a few hours ago, I received the same info from our intelligence departments. The Idaho and the D-Modules have beenlocated in Heliopolis." he affirmed, anticipating what his two allies were about to tell him. "As you already know, gentlemen, Heliopolis is a civilian colony, under the rulership of the Orb Union, one of the few places where Natural and Coordinators live side by side. Which obviously leaves us in a bit of a bind. Any military action in Heliopolis' space would compromise all the alliances we made among the colonies' citizens."

"That much is true." Haman replied, her jade green eyes slightly cast to the floor, as if she was deep in thought. "An unprovoked attack to a neutral colony would turn all popular opinion against us, and we cannot afford that now. However, Marshall Guiltorre, there is a piece of information that you might have overlooked, and thatt could turn the situation to our advantage still."

Axis' ruler's words caught the Giganoos leader off guard. "A... piece of information, Lady Haman? And... what would that be, to be exact?" he asked, sounding both self-controlled and interested.

"As you well know, Marshall Guiltorre, Heliopolis is where one of Morgenroete's main centers is located. They are among the major developers for weapons and space technology, along with Anaheim and Nergal." Haman explained. "What you probably do not know, however, is that recently, the same center, under orders from the Orb Union itself, has developed five new Gundam models, all of them with new piloting technologies and revolutionary armaments... all of which flies in the face of Heliopolis' proclaimed neutrality. This is, for all intents and purpouses, an act of war, and makes fair game of Heliopolis."

Guiltorre slowly nodded. "Hm. Obviously. Now that we know that Heliopolis possesses and develops enemy equipment, nothing forbids us from attempting an attack." he affirmed. "Very well then. I will immediately warn my troops in Heliopolis' proximities to stand ready. We will shortly begin the operations to recover both the D-Modules and the new Gundam models."

"Good." Zala answered. "ZAFT's Supreme Council has already been updated on the matter, and our troops are ready to aid Giganos Empire in their actions. Rau Le Crueset's elite team is also ready to intervene, and is heading to the proximities of Heliopolis space as we speak. It is composed of our best field commander and five of the top-scoring elite soldiers in our troops, and we are confident that they will be able to use the new Gundams to the best of their abilities once they are in our hands."

Haman nodded, expertly hiding a sly smile. She hadn't become leader of Axis at the young age of eighteen just because of her good looks, and she knew a plot in motion when she saw one. Orb Union, which by extention meant its ruler Uzumi Nara Athha, could not possibly have authorized the creation of those new Gundams, which meant the order came from a rogue faction of the Principality, or possibly even the Earth Union itself. Anyway, that wasn't the problem. The simple fact that those weapons had been built in Helipolis represented a good enough excuse to enact a military operation that would have gained the Spacenoid alliance a new set of formidable weapons! After all, three Metal Armors and five Gundams, all revolutionary models, would have interested anyone...

"Axis' armed forces are very busy in military actions in other quadrants..." the crimson-haired woman explained. "But we'll still give you all the aid we can. We will probably be able to spare some Mobile Suit squadron and our own strategic bases in Heliopolis' vicinities."

"I truly appreciate your aid, gentlemen. It will be necessary, in such delicate times." Guiltorre finally answered. "So, in a few days, after all the details have been defined, our armed forced will unleash a decisive assault on Heliopolis. We will recover the Dragonar units, and take possession of the five new Gundams. If we can count on Commander Le Crueset and his squad, the mission's success is almost a given."

It was not an exaggeration, and all three of them knew it. Commander Rau Le Crueset was the most skilled of ZAFT's field commanders, both as a strategist and as a pilot: he had been awarded with the Order Of The Nebula, a decoration only given to ZAFT's most outstanding soldiers, and only the best pilots were admitted as part of his team. Among ZAFT's military forces, his reputation and the respect he earned himself were without equal, even though he was known as a mysterious, intimidating fellow...

"Our strategy has been defined, then." Haman concluded. "All is well. Once the operations are done with, we'll verify the results. For now, I hope for a positive resolution of the issue at hand, and I offer you my best regards."

Zala nodded. "Likewise, Lady Haman. Once those new weapons are in our hands, our objective to unify the colonies against the corrupt Earth Union will make substantial progress."

"I trust I'll be able to give you good news in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, gentlemen, I give you my best regards as well." Guiltorre concluded. "Our reunion has been adjourned. Farewell."

"Farewell." the other two greeted back, before their images vanished from the screen. With a relieved sigh, Guiltorre leaned back on his chair, allowing a small smile to grace his grim face. Now that the problem was back under control, he was feeling a lot more confident. With the Dragonar back in their hands, and the Mass Driver fully operative, even as a last-ditch measure, what could they possibly have to fear from the regular Earth Union forces?

Oh, how wrong he was...

oooooooooo

A few days later, Heliopolis colony.

A young resident stretched lazily and stifled a yawn as he slowly walked through the crowded streets of the space city, indifferent to the multitude of people and vehicles going back and forth around him. After rubbing his eyes, he raised his left arm and looked at his wristwatch, just to keep an eye on the time. Ten o'clock in the morning. He still had a quarter of an hour to reach the place where he had an appointment with his friends, in order to discuss what they had deemed an important matter...

Well, he was fine with it being important. After all, it was not like he had much to do. For Kain Wakaba, sixteen years old, Natural from Earth who had been living in Heliopolis for quite some time now, it was a completely idle day. His brown hair, dyed black with some blue highlights, was combed backwards in a Seventies hairstyle, and he was dressed in a red shirt, a short-sleeved blue and white jacket, somewhat worn blue jeans and red trainers with white soles. He looked like a street boy, and this wasn't a completely incorrect impression: he was quite an impulsive and rebellious boy, quite intolerant of rules and of getting involved in something that had nothing to do with him. In fact, that was pretty much the reason why he and his mother had transferred on that colony... after his father, against Kain's better judgement, had decided to keep serving for the Earth Union army, Kain and his mother had wanted nothing to do with that dirty war and with the interests lurking beneath it...

Yes, he was okay with his friends calling him so suddently. What really annoyed him a little was the fact that they could have chosen another moment to do so. After all, week-end mornings are made to sleep in, right? And very few things annoyed Kain more than having to wake up early, when he could sleep in!

"Yaaawn!" the boy grunted, failing to hold a second yawn. "Darn, Tapp and Light sure could have chosen a better time! I was there at home, sleeping my ass off and minding my own damn business... and those two call me for an urgent reason! Meh, at least I hope it's a goodenough reason to get me out of bed so early..."

"Well, will you have a look at that! Who'd ever expect to meet Mr. Kain Wakaba going out so early during the weekend?"

Kain rolled his eyes and murmured an obscenity. Here was something that could annoy him a lot worse than any rude awakening... a soft, snobbish female voice, belonging to a girl one year younger than him, dressed in a pink shirt, a rather short skirt and elegant shoes on thigh-high socks, her fiery red hair tied in a ponytail behind her! She had appeared from the indifferent crowd of people he had left behind him, carrying an expensive bag under her right arm, and her grey eyes were looking at him haughtily... an expression Kain and his friends were used to!

"Ugh..." Kain grunted, rubbing his head as if he was getting an headache. "Just the one girl I reeeaaaally wanted to meet to start my day, Miss Flay Allster... although, what I am doing right now should be none of your damn business!". Kain never liked that bratty redhead who thought she was hot stuff just because she was the daughter of some Earth Union bigwig...

The redhead named Flay wrinkled her nose a little. "Well, you're right, I'll give you that. I have better things to do in my spare time than argue with you..." she answered dismissively. "I guess you're just going to hang out with the other two members of the idiot trio, right?"

"The 'other two', for your information, are called Tapp Oceano and Light Newman..." Ken shot back. "And even if I was, what's your damage?"

Flay crossed her arms on her chest and shrugged. "Hmph, none at all! You have fun with those two... I have an appointment with *my* friends, and I'd like not to be late. Therefore, farewell."

Without further wait, Flay turned her back on Kain and walked away with what Kain loved to call her 'prima donna walk'. The young boy shook his head as she walked away, then went on his way, murmuring unflattering things about a certain spoiler redhead under his breath.

"That girl, I swear, is a veritable ball-buster!" he growled. "Really, what does Kira see in such a shrewd? There are so many girls who are cuter and nicer than she is... Well, no matter, Tapp and Light are waiting for me now. Let's see, the place of the appointment should be... right there!"

Looking around himself, Kain saw two familiar figures waiting in front of a small street: two boys around his age, who were chatting between themselves like old-time friends - which they actually were: one of them had dark blond hair, combed in a rather large fringe on his forehead, and was garbed in a blue shirt, black trousers and white shoes, giving an overall feeling of simplicity and tidiness at the same time; while the other was a rather large yet meek-looking boy of color, with short black hair and a similarly informal fashion style - an orange short-sleeved shirt, jeans and white trainers. In one hand, he was holding an I-Pod, which he was trying to listen to and at the same time follow his conversation with the blond. Already feeling in a better mood, Kain smirked and approached the two boys, waving as they turned to him.

"Hey, you two! Tapp! Light! What's the big idea, waking up an honest student at such an unholy time as he's trying to enjoy a weekend of peace, huh?" he jokingly asked. "Our resident genius Light Newman has discovered some new law of mathematics?"

Light Newman, the blond guy in blue shirt, rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. "Yeah, yeah... you keep joking about that, Kain, but the truth is, your grades are barely average as it is..." he mocked. "Anyway, as I was explaining to Tapp here..."

Tapp Oceano, the rather large boy of color, paused his I-Pod and raised his hand. "Yo, Kain! What's up?" he asked, his music set aside for a moment.

Kain greeted back. "Other than the fact that you two scoundrels have thrown me out of bed, and a close encounter of the worst kind with Miss Allster, not bad at all... But now, I'm curious to know what's the big deal about this call so early on a Saturday. And why isn't Kira with you? I thought you would've called him as well..."

"Kira and the others had things to do for professor Kato..." Light explained. "Sai, Miriallia and Tolle are with him right now... but anyhow, I'll tell him about it when we see him again. Back to the problem at hand, Kain, I called because I discovered something that kinda unsettled me... regarding some "materials" that have been brought, or built, in our home colony in these last few days!"

Here, Kain could not help but frown in alarm. Materials? Something unsettling? What was the deal about all of this? It was never a good sign when Light went about it in such a roundabout way... "What? Hey, hey, hold on a second here, Light Newman! Don't tell me you've been hacking in Heliopolis' security files again! My mom told us once or twice already that it's an illegal thing to do, and I'm not too big on getting in trouble!"

"Fact is, Kain, that this is something real big!" Tapp went on. "But... this isn't exactly the ideal place for talking about it... maybe we should go to our secret place and talk about it more calmly, right, Light?"

"Yeah, I'd say so..." the blond boy concluded. "Follow me, guys, I'll show you what I discovered..."

As he and Tapp followed their computer-savvy friend in the narrow street, away from the crowd of people walking around, Kain could not help but think that the day was going to end up horribly for them... they were going to get in trouble with security, and his mom would have given them a well-deserved tongue lashing.

First an early wake-up, then Flay, and now this... no, it definitely wasn't his day.

oooooooooo

Heliopolis' people had no way of knowing just how much worse the day was going to get... Outside the colony, away from the radars, two of Giganos Empire's Copernico-class battle cruisers, readily distinguishable by their cylinder-like shape, reminescent of some sort of iron flower, and one of ZAFT's Nazca-class battleships were just waiting for the right moment to unleash their Mobile Suits and Metal Armors and start the operation. All things considered, no one was expecting it to be a bloodless deal...

Looking out into space from one of the Nazca's windows, his eyes affixed on the star-decorated void streaming off into infinity, Commander Rau Le Crueset was waiting, his figure radiating authority and confidence. Despite his young age, seemingly not much older than twenty-eight or so, Creuset was very well-known and respected in ZAFT, and his strategic abilities had won him the command of the most prestigious squad of pilots in the colonial alliance's military... and the highest military decoration in ZAFT, the Order Of The Nebula. No one was a better choice than he was, for this important mission; and no pilots could draw out the potential of the new Mobile Suits better than the Red Coats under his command.

With a relaxed gesture of his arm, the young commander adjusted the silver mask he was wearing on the upper part of his face, making him look somewhat like Char Aznable, the infamous Zeon ace of the One Year War. In fact, that wasn't the only thing those two had in common: Creuset was tall and well-muscled, while still quite lithe, and long, slightly curled blond hair framed a serene face, giving him an even more charismatic countenance. He was wearing the white uniform typical of ZAFT's top military officers, with black trousers and boots, and if one were to look carefully, one could have seen a gleam of satisfaction darting in the emerald green lenses covering his eyes...

Recovering five Mobile Suits and three Metal Armors. Not an everyday mission, but Crueset was convinced that there wouldn't be any problems, barring some unpredictable element. And Creuset already had some idea of who could become potential threats to the mission...

Well, so be it, then. That would have been a good chance to settle an old score, once and for all. Creuset was kind of hoping he would, in fact, be given this chance... but for the moment, he had to focus on the mission. Personal issues could be set aside...

One of the room's automatic doors slid open with a barely audible hiss, and Crueset turned to the five figured appearing on the entrance, giving them permission to come in with a nod of his head. The five entered the room and saluted, standing in a straight line in front of their superior. Five teenagers, four boys and a single girl, dressed in the red uniforms denoting the elite pilots of ZAFT, an obvious sign that, despite their young age, those five would have been formidable opponents for anyone.

"Pilots Athrun Zala, Nicol Amalfi, Yzak Joule, Dearka Elsmann and Shiho Hahnenfuss reporting in for duty, sir." the apparent leader of the group, a boy around sixteen with shoulder-long cobalt blue hair and green eyes, began. "You called for us, sir."

Creuset briefly observed the five teenagers gathered in front of him, and nodded in satisfaction. "Indeed I have, Athrun. Heliopolis is only a few hours away, so I needed to give you the final reccomandations for this mission. When our allies from the Copernicos will give us the green light, you will go out with your GINNs, and reach Heliopolis' spaceport. From there, you should have no problem reaching the underground bunkers where the Archangel and the Idaho are hidden. You will sneak in and hijack the Gundams, then you will use the bunker busters to force the two ships out. Our Giganos allies will see to the rest: they will take down the Idaho and recover the D-Models, and the operation will be completed. Still, remember not to stay and fight for too long, should any problem arise. The five Gundams' OS is still unknown to us, and fighting with an unfamiliar machine is not reccomended. As I already said, Athrun, I leave to you command of the operations. I trust you will do a good job as usual."

The blue-haired teen nodded. "Yes, sir. We understand. We will carry out this mission to the best of our possibilities."

"We will take the Gundams and bring them in." Nicol Amalfi, the youngest of the team, an innocent-looking boy of about fifteen with curly, light green hair, answered. Privately, Nicol felt a pang of regret at themention of the bunker busters. Sure, it was a war, and of course there were casualties, but he still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that they were attacking people who had no idea what was going to happen...

The boy standing at his side seemed to understand what Nicol was thinking... and snorted derisively at that. "Hmph... now, don't get worked up over these things, Nicol!" Yzak Joule, an arrogant and hotheaded pale-skinned boy with white-azure hair and a very confident demeanor, said, his lips turned slightly upwards. "We're fighting a war, in case you missed it... and this colony was building weapons for the Earth Union, while claiming neutrality all the while! Hah, laughable!"

"You hit the proverbial nail on the head, Yzak." Le Crueset confirmed. "With the creation of these new Gundam models, Heliopolis has become fair game for all intents and purposes. Therefore, there is no need to think too much about such issues. Anyway, you know what your target is. Miguel's Mobile Suit squad and our Giganos allies will support you during the operation. Pilots Elsmann and Hahnenfuss, is that all clear for you too?"

"All clear, Commander Le Crueset." Dearka Elsmann, a dark-skinned blond guy of about seventeen, known for being a bit of a cocky, laid-back joker and Yzak's best friend. "We can assure you that there will be no problems."

"We will complete our mission, and capture the five Gundams." Shiho Hahnenfuss, the only girl in the group, confirmed. She had long, flowing dark brown hair tied in a ponytail on her back, and she was known as a sociable, affable girl in everyday life, and a serious professional in the battlefield. She also had the honour of being the youngest female pilot ever to reach Redcoat status.

"Very well, then." Le Crueset said, giving one last appraising look to his squad. "If that is the case, you may take position. Our operation will begin shortly, and I trust you will give it your all as usual. Remember that the success or failure of this mission will shape the future of our war against the Earth Union. That will be all."

"Yes, sir!" the five answered almost in unison, saluting before heading out of the room, slowly and orderly. Le Crueset watched them walk away, before giving another glance at the hollow space just outside of his window. The small smile dancing on his thin lips was more than enough to show that he was extremely interested in how that operation would have turned out...

"Five new Gundams, three new Metal Armors, and new piloting and weapon technologies." he said out loud. "Very interesting. I'd really like to see for myself what they're capable of."

ooooooooo

Inside Heliopolis, the day seemed to have started out normally enough even for 16-year-old Kira Yamato: sure, it was still a bit of a peculiar day, since, instead of working at his computer like he used to do in his free days, he was now checking some projects along with his friends Sai Argyle, Tolle Koenig, Miriallia Haw (Tolle's girlfriend) and Kuzzey Buzzkirk. All that as part of an assignment their teacher had given them, and on whom they were trying to catch up.

Kira, with his messy chestnut hair and violet eyes, a clean and innocent face and dressed in the same school uniform as his friends (in other words, he had that boy-next-door look that could easily have blended in any crowd...) clicked a couple times on an icon on his laptop's screen and looked carefully at the graphics appearing on it, apparently projects for some very complex machinery. Luckily, Kira seemed to have a knack for solving such things...

"There, Kira... these are the data professor Kato wanted us to analyze in the first place." Sai Argyle, with his short, dark blond hair and glasses, told him. "What do you think? It's definitely something different from what we usually work on..."

Kira rubbed his chin with one hand as he tried to make sense of the data he was seeing. "Well... you're right, Sai, they definitely are different. They look like some kind of analysis data, but I have no idea what it could be. I have never seen anything like this myself, and I guess we'll have to spend a bit of time on this to understand..."

The oldest of Kira's group, Tolle Hiroshi Koenig, was quite ordinary-looking as well, with a sociable expression and short dark brown hair. He sighed in fake sadness as he looked at the data. "Nuts... Why can't a guy get a well-deserved weekend of rest, instead of staying clamped here to work his brain off on these riddles?" he asked himself. "I swear, I think professor Kato does that out of personal sadism!"

"Please, Tolle!" Miriallia Haw, a cute brunette whose hair curved upwards slightly at the ends, good-naturedly ribbed her boyfriend. "I too would like to do something different, on Saturday morning... but I don't think we should complain that much about it, right? It's still work we have to do! I swear, you spend too much time with Kain and the others..."

Kira ad his friends chuckled a little at their friend's little joke. "Hehee... yeah, I think that's why Kain, Tapp and Light would say in such a case..." he affirmed, slightly distracting himself from his work to look around the room...

And that was when he saw an unknown person standing near a door... a person dressed quite informally, with strands of blond hair peeking out of a large beret. He or she (Kira couldn't tell from that distance) was leaning against the wall, eyes, looking down at the floor, and it was quite obvious, to Kira at least, that the mysterious person was tense... for what reason, Kira could only guess.

Looking more carefully at the stranger, who just reacted with a sideways glare, Kira spoke to the last member of his group of friends, Kuzzey Buzzkirk, a short guy with neatly cropped black hair. "Kuzzey... do you happen to who that person is? I don't think I ever saw him around here..."

"Oh, that..." Kuzzey answered, looking in the same direction. "That's a guest of professor Kato's, but I don't know why he's here, exactly. Probably has something to do with Morgenroete..."

The next few minutes were uneventful enough, with Tolle and Kuzzey going through a few projects (who really looked like the interior of a Mobile Suit's cockpit), and Kira, Sai and Miriallia trying to get some programs to work, as the mysterious blond person kept waiting, shuffling his feet from time to time in an impatient gesture, and keeping an eye on the working students. For some reason, Kira found himself looking at him from time to time...

The violet-eyed boy shook his head and went back to his work. "Okay, so the problem with connections is solved..." he said, as he punched some final instructions in the program and got it to work. "Now, I guess we're halfway there..."

"I envy your computer skills, Kira..." Tolle said. "You're a real natural with these things. No pun intended, of course..."

And that's when all Hell broke loose.

Something impacted on the colony's walls, shaking it dangerously for a few instants, and causing its structures to move around as if they had been hit by a small earthquake! Kira and his friends screamed in fright, and the mysterious stranger muttered a curse, leaning further on the wall, and barely managed to keep himself upright. Kira glanced up from his work and looked around himself in fright, as if trying to understand what had caused that sudden tremor in the first place...

And another blow, even stronger than the previous one, rattled the entire colony!

"Ah!" Sai exclaimed, holding his glasses on the bridge of his nose with one hand. "What... what's going on? Is... is that a meteor?"

Mirialla neared Tolle, who placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. The beret-wearing stranger raised his head slightly, with almost palpable anger. Kuzzey remained frozen in place for a second, while Kira darted up, leaving his laptop on the desk. "I... I don't think so... If it had been just one hit, then... but I heard two in a row!" the violet-eyed boy commented...

And he was proven right when Heliopolis was hit a third time... and then a fourth...

"Kyaaaah!" Miriallia screamed, holding on to the nearest desk to avoid being knocked prone. "What's... what's going on? Are... are we being attacked?"

"We... we're an Orb colony! We're neutral! They can't do this!" Kuzzey exclaimed.

Unfortunately, the announcement coming from the colony's speakers destroyed their illusions.

"_Warning. Warning. To all the civilians. Please calmly head to the underground bunkers, and wait for instructions. We are under attack from the combined forces of ZAFT and Giganos EMpire for unknown reasons. I repeat, get to the bunkers and wait for further instructions..._"

"An... an attack?" Kira murmured in horrified disbelief. "ZAFT... and Giganos Empire? What's... what's this all about?"

oooooooooo

Just then, in a dimly-illuminated basement, well equipped with a computer, a stereo, resonance boxes and other such objects, three young Naturals were unknowingly finding the answer to their friend's question. Hard at work on his computer, Light Newman was showing Kain and Tapp (the latter of which was still busy listening to his I-Pod...) a very disquieting thing... something that could be putting the whole neutral colony in jeopardy!

"Hold... hold on a damn minute here! Are you trying to say that Morgenroete is building... Mobile Suits... for the Earth Union?" Kain asked in disbelief, his face nearing Light's computer as he tried to get a better look at what had appeared onscreen. In fact, it was the schematics for Gundam-type Mobile Suits, similar to the ones used by such notable people as Amuro Ray, Kamille Bidan, or the five teenage colony soldiers who had been sent to Earth one year earlier to destroy OZ... There was no way around it: the faceplate, the V-fin on the forehead, and the yellow slit-like eyes immediately denonunced those models as Gundams!

Light nodded and grit his teeth. "Yeah... exactly, Kain, Mobile Suits for the Union, identified as Strike Gundam, Aegis Gundam, Blitz Gundam, Buster Gundam and Duel Gundam..." he explained, calmly but with clear worries. "I don't know the details yet... but it seems that Orb government commissioned the creation of such Mobile Suits to this colony's Morgenroete branch."

"What? Orb government?" Tapp asked, nervously fiddling with his I-Pod. "Are they dumb or what? They're just asking for trouble this way! And by the way, isn't Orb supposed to be neutral? Why would they start building Mobile Suits for the Earth Union? Lord Uzumi never had any love for it..."

"That's where the problem lies, Tapp..." Light explained, leaning on his chair. "Y'see, the situation is a little more complex than it seems. Fact is..."

He never got to finish his sentence, before a quick succession of explosions rattled the colony, and the basement they were in! Kain bit back a swear word and tightly grabbed the desk, as Tapp and Light tried to keep their balance... and one moment later, a familiar female voice, clearly belonging to a mature woman, spoke from the PC's sound boxes!

"_This is Heliopolis Colony. To the Giganos Empire and ZAFT troops launching an unprovoked attack on our colony. You are violating our neutrality with your inconsiderate actions. You are asked to cease hostilities and retreat immediately..._"

The two allied powers' response was immediate and brutal, and the three teens felt the ground shakke under the soles of their shoes as more missiles slammed on the colony's walls! However, Kain was not concerned about that... as he was horrified to hear that voice, and to know that it owner was in a dangerous place!

"Oh, no... Mom!" the young boy exclaimed. "Mom is... part of the communication personnel of this colony! Now... she's directly on the enemy's line of fire!"

"Dammit..." Tapp exclaimed. "C'mon, guys, we got to reach the spaceport, pronto! No time to waste!"

Before the three friends could even suspect, the space around their colony had been plunged into hell...

oooooooooo

Outside the colony, huge squadrons of clumsy-looking Giganos Empire units, mainly the stocky-looking Drau and Gebaye, armed with their trademark 50mm machineguns, and agile GINNs of the ZAFT military, readily recognizable by their Zaku-like mono-eye, their greyish-green colour, and the crest on their heads, were fighting side by side, tearing through the colony's flimsy defenses like paper.

In the span of a few minutes, Heliopolis' civilian population had been plunged in the hell that was war...

oooooooooo

TO BE CONTINUED...

**Well, there you have it! The characters of Metal Armor Dragonar and Gundam SEED enter the fray, and they do so with a bang indeed! Somehow, I find it highly amusing to put together two series who are that different in tone... since Dragonar is as light-hearted and fun as Gundam SEED is dark and dramatic. Guess that leaves hope for the two series to, let's put it this way, rub off of each other? **

**Hehee... anyway, there you have it, my latest chapter in this story! Hope you enjoyed it, and... wait patiently for the next chapter, in which the heroes of both series plunge into action for the first time!**

**See you soon! **


	5. ZAFT Attacks!

**SUPER ROBOT WARS S ZERO**

**Welcome back, Super Robot fans, and I hope this new chapter isn't too late in the making! It's getting a little hard to balance things in my life, but I will manage to find some time to dedicate to you and to my writing! **

**In this new chapter, we get some more Gundam SEED and Dragonar action, as Heliopolis is attacked by the combined forces of ZAFT and Giganos Empire... and a group of teenagers stumbles upon what may just make the difference between death and survival! Which, of course, will lead to a lot of other developments... but let's not anticipate too many things, and let's get on with the story! **

**If you're ready, I guess we can begin with our new chapter! Fasten your seat belts, this is gonna be a bumpy ride!**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 5 - ZAFT Attacks!**

"_A warning to the attacking ZAFT and Giganos forces! You are acting counter to the peace treaty with our nation, the Principality of Orb!_" A female voice, belonging to Heliopolis' security chief Aoi Wakaba, a woman in her early forties with short black hair and wearing a light blue uniform, blared from all Mobile Suits and Metal Armor communicators. "_Hold your assault! I repeat, hold your assault! All ZAFT and Giganos cruisers, recall your troops and retreat at once..._"

She never got to finish her sentence. An electrical interference from the enemy ships proceeded to scramble her attempt at negotiations, causing her voice to come out of the speakers as a barely comprehensible ripping sound. In the communication room of Heliopolis' security, Aoi backed away from her console in alarm and disappointment, as she realized that the enemy was simply refusing to listen to her!

"Dammit!" her colleague cursed, slamming the palm of his hand on the console. "We're detecting a powerful electric interference coming from the ZAFT and Giganos ships! They're refusing our warnings!"

"This is a clear act of war..." Aoi murmured. "This... will surely have serious consequences! But for now, this isn't what we need to worry about... we have to help evacuating the colony!"

"Right!" the man said, before switching frequency and issuing a communication to the colony. "_To the civilian population of Heliopolis! We are under attack from a combined ZAFT and Giganos Empire fleet! Please, don't panic and follow the escape routes provided! All military personnel, gather near Docks 3 and 4! This is urgent!_"

"We also need to contact the Military Academy pupils... my son is among them!" Aoi stated, trying to keep her cool despite the dangerous situation they were in. Red emergency lights were lighting up al over the place in the communication room, and the blasts from outside could be heard more and more clearly from where she was standing... the enemy was getting closer, and if this kept up, Heliopolis would surely have been destroyed!

"Yes, I think it's a good idea..." her colleague answered, as he desperately tried to set up another communication before it was too late...

Outside of the colony, the Copernico-class ships had released a small number of pod-like modules, who silently flew to the colony's walls and began drilling their way through them...

oooooooooo

"Those Giganos and ZAFT bastards! They're coming here!" Kain swore as he and his friends rushed out of their hideout, leaving everything behind to rush to safety. "What the Hell is their problem?"

"I guess those Gundams are their problem, Kain... they must have found out that our colony was endorsing their creation, and now they want to take them for themselves!" Tapp answered. "In fact, I'd say they would be foolish to pass up such an opportunity..."

"This doesn't change the fact that they're attacking civilians, though!" Kain answered angrily. "Let's hurry up, guys! This is getting worse by the moment!"

"Alright!" Light and Tapp concluded. The three teens began running to the military area, hoping to get there in time to retrieve Kain's mother. It was far enough, but if they ran...

"Dammit... I can't believe we have been attacked like this!" Kain ranted angrily as the trio appproached their objective. "I just hope Mom got to safety, this place is going to be overrun soon... Ack!"

The ground under their feet was suddently shaken up by a series of tremors, and the teens were forced to hold tightly to something in order not to be thrown away by the force of the shaking. In front of their eyes, not a few hundred meters away from them, one of the modules had managed to dig its way up to that innermost part of the colony, its huge drill opening up a gaping rift in the ground before grinding to an halt. An hatch opened up in the module's side... and, with a deafening roar, four Metal Armors emerged from it: a group of Gandoras, blue robots who looked like a strange cross between a futuristic car and a huge motorbike, no less than ten metres long, with a pair of laser cannnons mounted on top of them, one on each side of the cockpit - inside of which it was posssible to make out, albeit barely, the figure of a Giganos soldier, with the standard helmet, the vision goggles and the oxygen mask who contributed to making them all look more terrifying. A black G on a dark yellow background, obviously the symbol of Giganos Empire, adorned the lower sides of all the strange machines. Kain, Tapp and Light remained on the ground and watched powerlessly as the Gandoras sped away with amazing speed, heading - alarmingly enough - to the military district!

"Dammit, Kain, you were right... this is getting worse by the minute!" Tapp murmured as he picked himself up.

"These guys sure aren't screwing around... they're going directly for the military district to get those Gundams!" Light exclaimed, the roar of the Gandoras' engines still loud enough to make it difficult to hear his voice. Kain grit his teeth, furiously trying to think of something to get out of that mess and find his mother... but the more he thought about it, the more it was obvious that there was really nothing they could do. They were powerless, and at the mercy of an enemy who didn't seem inclined to show any...

"Ugh... Damn you... you fucking bastards! I hope you crash and burn!" Kain called out indignantly to the uncaring Gandora squad.

Despite the mess they were in, Light managed to chuckle a little. "Heh, you sure are brave now that they cannot hear you..."

"Don't start with me, you!" Kain snapped... before Tapp saw something out of the corner of his eye, and motioned to his friends to take a look at it as well.

"Hey, guys, what's going on there?" the boy of color exclaimed. "Looks to me like there's someone there!"

Kain and Light turned that way in alarm... and a thin, dark-skinned man in a blue suit staggered out of a group of bushes, his breath labored and his right hand tightly pressed against his left side. Before any of the teens could do anything, the man groaned and limply fell to his knees, before slumping to the ground! Immediately, Kain and his friends were by his side, trying to support him... but that was when they noticed the large bloodstain of the man's coat, right where his hand was holding his side!

"Sir! Sir, are you alright?" Tapp called out to him, as the man began breathing more shallowly.

"I'm afraid he won't be... somebody shot him!" Light said, noticing the bullet wound on the mysterious man's side. Light was no medic, but from the looks of it, the man didn't have long left to live... he had lost too much blood already.

However, feeling somebody hold him seemed to give the man a last flicker of hope, and after coughing a couple times, he raised his head and spoke to the teens. "Ugh... k-kids... please, listen up... this is important..." he murmured weakly. His hand reached into an hidden pocket in his suit and produced what looked like a bunch of CD-Roms in a featureless black case, and the man unsteadily handed it to Kain. "Take this... secret weapon... Giganos..."

With these last words, the man slumped down in Light's arms and breathed his last.

"C'mon, sir, don't give up now..." Kain said, holding the man's free hand. "We'll take you to an hospital and..."

Light pressed his hand o the man's neck and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Kain... he's gone." he murmured sadly. "He was talking of a secret weapon... for Giganos Empire?"

"I guess these things are what the poor guy was talking about..." Tapp said, opening the case and looking at its contents - in fact, it was three disc-shaped devices adorned with the Giganos symbol. "Maybe these CDs contain the instructions for using this weapon... whatever it is."

"If that is the case..." Kain concluded, laying down the dead man and piteously closing his eyes. "Then we have one more reason to rush to the military district. We can't have these fall in Giganos' hands..."

"Right..." Light answered, as the three boys continued on their way. "I just hope it's not too late when we get there... those Gandoras will surely be wreaking havoc there!"

oooooooooo

"_Propellent refueling 80 per cent complete. Squad 16, begin loading operations. Activation voltage, stable._" a voice blared from the speakers of the battleship Archangel, first in a new line of Earth Union space crafts, as a group of ZAFT soldiers glided through the gravity-less environment in search for the G-Weapons. As soon as the operator said that, he turned to a pair of officers standing behind him - a rather non descript man with short blueish hair, and a midnight-black-haired, rather stern-looking woman with pale skin and brown eyes. Both were wearing a light grey uniform with black shoulder pads, and the woman also wore a grey officer's hat, with a golden emblem on its front, which partly concealed her short, neatly-combed hair.

"Watch Captain Ramius at once! We have to make it out of here with the G-Weapons!" he ordered, to which both officers gave a salute.

"Yes, sir!" the dark-haired woman exclaimed, before both of them floated away, hoping to reach Ramius before it was too late...

oooooooooo

On the outside of the colony, as a group of GINNs and Draus was floating within dangerous distance of the colony, they were greeted by a group of Moebius flying out of the colony's hangars, their guns blazing in a desperate attempt to fend off the attack. However, the stocky Mobile Armors were no match for the agile ZAFT Mobile suits, wh proceeded to shred through their ranks with ridiculous ease. A few Draus were caught by the Moebiuses' fire and were destroyed, but the enemy attack line was still mostly intact.

A lone Moebius, distinguished by its red colour and the gunbarrels mounted on its body - the distinguishing features of the superior Moebius Zero model - was holding its own with admirable ease, thanks to its pilot's experience. Captain Mwu La Flaga of the Earth Union was among the defenders of the colony, and seemed to be doing a good job fending for himself, at least until then. However, he knew all too well that it wasn't going to last. The other Moebiuses were getting decimated, exploding in rapid succession all around him, and it was only a matter of time before they were completely wiped out.

"Tch... that's only to be expected. Our Moebiuses are way too outdated to hold a candle to those new Mobile Suits..." he murmured to himself. "I just hope we can buy enough time for the ship to get launched..."

A series of explosions along the colony's walls caused his eyes to widen in alarm, and he muttered a curse. ZAFT had used bunker busters to force the Archangel out of its hiding place... things were quickly spiralling out of control!

oooooooooo

The bunker busters' detonation and the subsequent collapse had thrown the colony into panic... and now, Kira and his friends were finding themselves in the midst of all the confusion without even having had the time to realize what was going on. Kira had barely managed to hold tightly to a desk, as Tolle held his girlfriend Miriallia to keep her from falling, while the scared Sai and Kuzzey were looking around in an attempt to find an escape route. Which is when they saw the mysterious blond haired individual from earlier tense up, his fist gripped tightly beside him.

"This is bad, guys... we need to get out of here!" Sai exclaimed, leading the group towards an emergency exit leading to the bunkers. A long queue of people, some of them injured and being helped along by the others, was trying to make their way to the upper floors.

"What's going on here?" Kira exclaimed, still shocked. "Why are ZAFT and Giganos attacking us?"

"We... we don't know yet..." one of the survivors answered with a cough. "But... they used the bunker busters... which means that they wanted to flush something out of this colony's hangars... there must be something of interest to them here..."

The blond guy with the beret frowned and immediately broke in a run, getting away from the rest of the crowd... and Kira, alarmed by such behaviour, ran after him, ignoring his friends' warning. However, the mysterious blond was quite fast, and it took Kira a while to catch up to him.

"Wait! Wait up!" the brown-haired boy exclaimed, finally managing to get a hold of the mysterious person's shoulder. "Where are you going? It's too dangerous down there!"

The boy turned to him, annoyance evident on his surprisingly feminine features, and jerked himself away from Kira. "What do you care? Just go back and stay with your friends, if you wanna live!" he shouted back. However, even if he wanted to, Kira was prevented from doing so by the ceiling collapsing behind the two of them! Kira and the blond let out a brief alarmed scream and were thrown backwards a little bit... which knocked the beret off of the stranger's head, revealing shoulder-length blond hair framing a cute, while hardened, face with light brown eyes. Kira's purple eyes widened a little, as he realized that he was not talking with a boy...

"You... you're a girl?" he asked sheepishly.

This, of course, did nothing but further annoy the blonde. "Yes, I'm a girl! Why? What did you think I was? Let's hear it!" she snapped. As another section of the corridor crumbled behind her and Kira, she shook her head and turned back to her original objective. "Hmph, just forget about it! I still have something to do here, so..."

"And... where are you going?" Kira asked. "Now we can't go back anymore... let's have a look... this way!"

In a burst of initiative that surprised himself as well, Kira grabbed the girl's wrist and ran into a corridor on his left, dragging the protesting girl along with him. "Hey! Let go of me, you jerk! Ugh... And to think that in such a mess, I still have to..."

"Don't worry, we'll get out of here... one way or the other!" Kira tried to reassure her. "We just need to reach the military district, there should be more shelters there!"

The girl grit her teeth in a mix of anger, annoyance and worry. Shelters were the last of her thoughts at the moment...

oooooooooo

"Well, one way or another... we seem to have gotten here!" was all Kain could say as he and his best friends reached the military area and, after hiding themselves behind the wall of one of the largest buildings, tried to catch their breath. However, the background cacophony of explosions, shooting, giant robot steps on the ground and whatever else the ill-fated teens could think of made it clear that it was only a temporary shelter... and, sooner or later, it would have been overtaken by the invaders. They only had a few seconds at best...

"Alright, Kain, now that we've made it... how exactly do you propose to find your Mom in this mess? It's not like we can start asking around..." Tapp said, keeping his voice high enough to let his friends hear him.

Kain was beginning to lose his patience. As if that was a question to ask in such a situation! "And how the Hell am I supposed to know that, for crying out loud?" he ranted. "I just know that Mom is around here... and I will find her, one way or another!"

"A very detailed answer, my friend..." Tapp deadpanned.

Light quickly reminded the two of the dire situation they were in. "There's no time to antagonize each other over this stuff, guys!" he exclaimed, wincing as a shot from a GINN's bazooka exploded dangerously close to their improvised shelter, causing the very ground to shake! "Ugh... these guys are getting too close for confort! We need to find a more stable shelter, before they..."

"Oh, fuck!" Kain suddently swore as a couple of Gandoras sped by, shooting missiles towards the very same building the boys were trying to use as a cover! "Guys, everybody down! Now!"

The three immediatwely hit the ground as the missiles struck the roof of the building, causing an immediate explosion and opening huge cracks on the structure, even causing a section of the wall to collapse in a pile of rubble! Luckily, Kain and his friends were quick to get to a relatively safe place, and the explosion did nothing but knock them off their feet, bruising them a little but otherwise doing no real harm.

"D... Dammit... that was a close one..." Tapp murmured, coughing from the dust kicked up by the explosion as the Gandoras continued on their rampage throughout the colony. "We need to get out of here pronto and... huh? Hey, guys, will you look at that!"

"What?" Light inquired... just before he looked at the wall they were standing next to, and noticing the huge, gaping hole blown through it. It was large enough for a human-sized person to fit confortably, and if they were lucky, maybe it could have taken them to a relatively safer place... "Well, that's our luck changing... hopefully. Come on, everybody, let's get in there! At least the mobile weapons won't be able to get to us..."

The other two had no objection to that, and all three carefully entered the building, finding themselves in a corridor that quickly winded down to what looked like a huge hangar, which seemed to have held up rather well, considering all the abuse the colony had taken from both the outside attackers and the bunker busters.

"Well, looks like we're in luck for once..." Tapp commented as he exited the corridor first and stopped to catch hisbreath and calm himself down a little. The boys were now standing on a tall walkway, from which it was possible to see the whole hangar from above - especially the large battleship that was stationed in the middle of the ground floor, its engines shut down. It was a large space battleship, a white and red colour all over, with three huge cylindrical cystern-like objects attached to the main body. It was imposing yet sleek-looking, and while it had obviously taken some abuse, it was still spaceworthy. "Huh? Hey, and what's that ship doing in here? Doesn't it look like..."

"A military cruiser, that's for sure..." Light commented, feeling that his previous suspicions were being proved with every passing moment. "And not just a battleship, an Earth Union battleship... it is obvious, to me at least, that our ZAFT and Giganos friends somehow knew about that and the five Gundams I spoke of earlier... and now they've staged this attack under the pretense that our colony is violating its own neutrality."

"Whatever, that's one more place we can hide in!" Kain cut the discussion right there, but the revelation had startled him quite a bit, though he tried not to show. So, in otherwords, Heliopolis was being used in one of the Earth Union's power trips, with all of its inhabitants being none the wiser? The mere thought disgusted him...

However, there was no time to think about that. Taking advantage of the lowered gravity, Kain, Tapp and Light jumped down from the balcony and gently floated to the battleship's roof, landing on their feet atop one of the cylinder-shaped containers. Quickly noticing a rather large fissure in the metal plating, doubtlessly a result of the battles the cruiser had lived through, the boys lowered themselves down through it, and entered the container, their eyes quickly adapting to the dim illumination.

"Okay, guys, it seems that we'll be safe here... at least for a while..." Light commented. "Let's take a look around, maybe we can find something of use."

"Alright..." Kain and Tapp answered almost in unison. Taking extra care not to bump or trip on something in the darkness, the three Heliopolis civilians quickly tried to assess their situation - they were standing on top of an elevated platform, with the floor of the container a good twenty meters or so below them... and, even in the diminishing light, it was plain to see that there was something quite unusual in the hangar, a little below them: through a few gaps large enough to fit an adult human, three large humanoid shapes, standing on the deck and seemingly inactive, were visible... and from their elevated position, the boys could see that they were standing quite a few feet above the heads of these giants, with nothing to possibly stop them from approaching...

"Hey, guys, have you seen those? It's just crazy..." Tapp commented, as they slowly approached the nearest of the three giant shapes, all standing side by side.

Kain and Light were in awe as well: those giant shapes were obviously robots, and were quite similar to the Mobile Suits used in the One Year War or during the war against the Titans... in fact, at first glance, one might even have mistaken one of them for a Gundam, were it not for a few imporrtant cosmetic differences!

The first machine was a pure white, with red highlight on the front of its head and around its neck, and its large chestplace was decorated with a golden three-pointed star. The legs were quite large in comparison with the body, with a red and a blue stripe running around its calves, and it was carrying a large blue and white shield, with a golden number 1 emblazoned upon it, in one hand; and an heavy hand railgun in the other, with a pair of beam sword hoisted at its sides. A pair of golden antennae, similar but not quite identical to those of a Gundam, and a pair of thrusters on its shoulder pads, completed its overall appearence. It did look like a Gundam, in fact, but it seemed to be somehow taller, sleeker and more dynamic.

The second one looked more of a ranged combat unit, thanks to a pair of large cannons mounted on a spherical support unit on its back and raising themselves upon its shoulders: it was a dark blue colour all over, except for a few red stripes on its wrists, calves and feet, and it lacked the dynamic, agile appearence of a more traditional Mobile Suit - also thanks to its protruding chestplate and its almost spherical head. Other than the obvious cannons, it was carrying a railgun in its right hand, and a few missile dispensers were mounted on various parts of its body.

The third one was possibly the strangest of all: it was slightly taller than the others, but it didn't look quite as threatening, especially thanks to its peculiar disc-shaped head and the rather imbalancing armor mounted on its arms and legs. Its chest sported what looked like a bunch of small green and yellow searchlights, and it was carrying a light railgun in its hands. It looked more like a reconnaisance unit than a straight-out fighter, and Light was quick to point out the fact.

"Hmm.. that's really interesting." the blond said, looking at the disc-shaped head of the third unit. "You see that, guys? That's a BX-3 all-range sensor... and that unit must have been created for electronic warfare."

"Heh, what do you know, guys... we've stumbled upon a really cool discovery!" Kain commented, the seriousness ofthe situation set aside for a moment. "Don't they look like those robot we used to watch in cartoons when we were kids? You know, like Gekiganger and the like?"

"You sure had strange tastes even as a kid, Kain... I was never into that kinda stuff!" Light chuckled, allowing himself a moment of levity before it was time to once again face the seriousness of the situation. "Alright, I guess these are the secret weapon that guy spoke of before he died... and that's another thing the ZAFT guys and the Giganos are gunning for... but now, the impeding question is, how are we going to get out of this mess?"

Kain seemed to think about that for a few seconds, his eyes affixed upon the immobile forms of the three robots... then, he grinned like a cunning fox and glanced upwards to his friends...

"Y'know, guys..." he said, rubbing his own chin. "I think I have half a mind on how we do that..."

A stunned silence followed for the whole of two seconds... before Light answered back, frowning with worry. "Hold... hold your horses, Kain! You're NOT thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" he questioned, dreading the answer already.

"You wanna say... we climb onboard these machines and fight our way out?" Tapp followed as he glanced to the dark-colored robot with the twin cannons.

"Do you have any better ideas than that?" Kain answered back, holding the CD case they had gotten earlier in his hand. He opened it and took out the three small disc-shaped devices, small enough to fit confortably in th palm of each boy's hand, before handing two of them to his friends. "Dunno about you, but I'm really sick and tired of running away from those guys! So I say, we go out there and wreck their little toys a little! How about it, guys?"

Light inspected the activation key he had just received... and then, much to Tapp's costernation, he cracked a small grin. "Tell you what, Kain, that's actually not a halfway bad idea! I'm all for it!"

"What? Are you guys off your rocket?" Tapp exclaimed in wide-eyed shock. "These are freaking secret weapons! We'll end up cracking our heads open!"

"Oh, give it a rest, worrywart!" Kain shot back as he leapt towards the square-shaped hole hosting the white-and-red machine. "Okay, guys, I'm picking this one! Which do you choose?"

"I've always been good with computers and that kinda stuff... so I'm picking the third one!" Light answered, pointing to the robot with the disc-shaped head. "That just leaves you, Tapp... you get the one with the big cannons! Aren't you happy with that?"

"I'm so happy I could cry..." Tapp murmured, his hand nervously rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, well, what can you do..."

As Tapp and Light got ready to take their places onboard the strange machines, Kain lowered himself through the opening corresponding to the white-and-red Gundam-like robot, and nimbly slid inside of it through an opening placed on the back of the machine's neck and a narrow chute, finally leading to a rather large cockpit filled with a dim red light. Luckily, the machine's automatic systems seemed to acknowledge the presence of a human being inside the cockpit, and the main lights flickered on a moment later, allowing the Heliopolis teen to take a good look at his surroundings.

"Well, geez, I guess the difficult part comes... woah!" Kain's musings were interrupted as the chute's end closed abruptly behind him, pushing him forward and almost causing him to comically hit his face on the control interfaces! "Owww... seriously, whoever thinks this shit up? Such rude manners... anyway, now I'm in! Let's see what I have to do to make this thing work..."

The control interface was somewhat reminescent of that of a fighter plane, but there were some things that blatantly stood out: in particular, a blinking yellow button bearing the Giganos symbol upon it, with a small opening right beside it, which was just the right size for the activation disc. It took barely a second for the Heliopolis resident to put two and two together. "Heh, bingo! Now let's get to work!" Kain commented to himself, before sliding the disc into the opening. Immediately, the interfaces lit up, and a robotic, yet distinctly female voice came from the cockpit speakers.

"_Welcome onboard the Dragonar D-1 unit. This is the onboard computer Cray-9000, codename Clair. Please vocally enter your name and ID number._"

"A computer working on vocal commands? They sure don't half-ass things..." Kain mused. "Oh, well. The name is Kain Wakaba, and my ID code is... 1234567! And make sure you don't forget it!"

A quick succession of yellow light shone through the cockpit, going through Kain's body, and the boy frowned in confusion as the onboard computer completed its analysis. Finally, the strange display of colourful lights ceased, and the piloting interface activated again, finally allowing him to start maneuvering!

"_ID code 1234567. Name: Kain Wakaba. Registration complete. You have been identified as the exclusive pilot for the Dragonar D-1 unit. Pilot is not equipped with a piloting suit. Unit under restraint._"

Kain only half-listened to this part, so hyped up he was about paying back ZAFT and Giganos for the unprovoked attack. "Hehehee... and now we really get going! Who knows how those two scoundrels are faring, by the way...?" he asked himself. Then, he searched around on the interface a little, until he came across the communications. "Oh, here it is! Hey, Tapp! Light! How's it going?"

"It's unreal, Kain! It's a whole other world compared with the Academy's simulations!" Light answered from the disc-headed robot's cockpit. "It almost feels like I'm inside a computer!"

Kain laughed jovially at that. "Heheheee... and you're a sucker for those kinda things, aren't you? And what about you, Tapp? How does it feel to pilot the latest secret weapon?"

"It's just amazing, man!" Tapp exclaimed, his previous misgivings seemingly vanished. "This baby feels like it could split the freaking Moon in half!"

"And about the ID code? What have you invented for that?" Kain asked, out of curiosity more than anything else.

The boy of colour winked and tapped his head with an index finger. "I used my credit card's ID number, so I'm sure to remember it! Smart idea, huh?"

"Hahahaa, nice idea indeed, pal!" Kain laughed. "And now that we're all set, let's go kick some ass! C'mon... Clair, you said? C'mon, Clair, let's get this show going!"

"_Acknowledge. Removing restraints. Units ready for departure._" the onboard computer answered. The restraints on the Dragonar units were lifted, and the D-1 lead the others, as Kain and his friends began their counterattack against the invading ZAFT and Giganos forces...

oooooooooo

"Well, guys? What's the situation here?" Dearka asked as he stood together with his teammates of the Le Crueset team and a group of ZAFT greencoats upon a small rocky hilltop, not too distant from the road upon which a group of military vehicles was travelling. Nicol was busy looking at those same vehicles with a binocular... and, just as he imagined, there were a few Mobile Suits being carried upon those trucks: judging from their shapes and faceplates, they were obviously Gundams, though their featureless grey coloration was making it a little hard to distinguish between one another. Anyway, that wasn't the point, at the moment. The point was, that now they knew where their objective was headed and could strike unimpeded!

"Just as planned." the green-haired boy answered, taking his eyes off the binocular. "The bunker busters have done their job, and now the Heliopolis military is transferring the Gundams to another location. They're just where we need them."

"We just had to shake them up a little, and out they come." Shiho commented. She sounded almost disappointed that it had been so easy to get their targets to come out of hiding.

"Heh, what did you expect, Hahnenfuss? Naturals are idiots after all." Yzak sneered contemptuously. It was no secret that the white-haired redcoat never cared much about Naturals, though most pilots of the Le Crueset team didn't really share this way of thinking.

"Anyway, we have to get going now." Athrun said, taking charge of the situation. "Remember what commander Le Crueset said, do not stay here longer than necessary. The backup team should be here soon, and will cover our escape. Now, let's go."

oooooooooo

"So, captain Ades. How are the operations going?" Rau Le Creuset asked as he arrived on the _Vesalius'_ main bridge. Captain Frederik Ades, a ZAFT captain with a somewhat tan complexion and long light brown sideburns on the sides of his head, looked up at his commanding officer and nodded an affirmative.

"So far, no problems, commander Le Crueset. The _Gamow_ has just sent a backup team, led by our ace pilot Miguel Aiman... and our own forces plus our Giganos allies are keeping Heliopolis' defences busy." Ades answered. "Furthermore, your team of pilots has managed to infiltrate the colony, and they are now on their way to capture the G-Weapons. Barring exceptional circumstances, they should be able to head back shortly."

"I see." Le Crueset continued. "And what about the Dragonar modules? Have they been located already?"

"It doesn't seem so, Commander. It seems that the Idaho, the battleship carrying them, had been elsewhere, but the Gandorah squads should be closing in on their position by now. We should have them delivered to us in a matter of time."

"Excellent." Rau nodded, before frowning in a barely noticeable way behind his silver mask. The familiar feeling he was having at the moment confirmed him that, just as he suspected, there was someone out there who could cause problems... and problems needed to be solved as soon as possible. "_I knew I'd find you here, Mwu La Flaga... well, we had to settle our score sooner or later. Now is as good as time as any._"

"Very well, then, Captain Ades... By the way, is my GINN ready to sortie?" Le Crueset asked.

"Yes, Commander Le Creuset... do you plan on going out yourself?" Ades asked, somewhat surprised by his superior's request. The tide of the battle seemed to be firmly in ZAFT and Giganos' favor, so Ades couldn't see why Le Creuset felt the need to go out there and fight himself... but then again, Le Crueset's methods were quite unconventional, though he still remained the most skilled space commander in ZAFT's military.

"I suppose I should do my part in this, that's all." Le Crueset answered to Ades' unspoken question. "Furthermore, this might well be my chance to settle some old scores. Therefore, Captain Ades, I'm temporarily leaving you in charge of the operations here. I'll heading out."

"Affirmative, Commander Le Crueset. I wish you the best of luck out there." Ades answered, and the two men exchanged a military salute before the masked man headed to the _Vesalius_' hangars...

oooooooooo

Among the many ZAFT Mobile Suits advancing on Heliopolis and fighting their way in, a trio of GINN, one of which stood out because of its bright orange color, was descending towards the area where Athrun and his comrades were about to hijack the G-Weapons, intent on giving support to the ace pilot team.

"Alright... Matthew, Olor, we're in!" the leader of the group, ace pilot Miguel Aiman aka the Magic Bullet of Dusk, told his wingmen, as the three Mobile Suits used their verniers to slow down their descent. "I don't think Athrun and the other will need much of an assistance, but stay sharp, just in case. You never know what might happen in a war zone... which this colony just became!"

"Acknowledge, sir!" his wingmen answered. Miguel, a young man with dirty blond hair combed in a fringe in front of him, nodded to himself and readied his GINN Hi-Maneuver's weapons, getting ready for anything that might have happened...

oooooooooo

The ZAFT elite team had wasted no time, assaulting the convoys as soon as they had them where they wanted them... and now, an hectic gufight had broken out between them and the remaining soldiers, with the Heliopolis defenders quickly finding themselves at a disadvantage. Athrun took a grenade out of one of his belts and chucked it in the middle of a formation of soldiers, causing a huge explosion that killed most of them on impact... and those who hadn't been hit by the blast were quickly gunned down by Nicol, Deark, Yzak and Shiho, leaving the G-Weapons mostly defenceless.

In front of one of the new Mobile Suits, a pretty brown-haired woman in a yellow suit was trying to do what she could to stop the ZAFT forces from taking the new weapons, but it was obvious that she couldn't last long on her own, and now Yzak and Dearka were taking possession on the first two Mobile Suits...

And that was when a couple of teenagers, a brown-haired boy with bright purple eyes, and a rather tomboyish-looking blond girl, rushed out of a corridor and into an elevated walkway, dangerously close to the zone where the gunfight was taking place! Kira and the blond girl were looking in wide-eyed horror at the violence, and the bodies that now littered the ground... but perhaps more shocking than that, were the five slate-grey Mobile Suits that now lied in front of them... the obvious target of the ZAFT forces, who were making more and more of an headway getting there!

"Mobile... Suits? Here... in Heliopolis? How... how is that possible?" Kira murmured, as the blond girl slumped to her knees, tears of powerless fury in her eyes.

"I knew it..." she hissed. "The new Earth Union Mobile Suit model... I knew this was going to happen! Father, how could you? You betrayed us all!"

The last part came out in a furious scream which alerted Captain Murrue Ramius, of the Earth Union army and the aforementioned brunette gunner, to the teens' presence. In a knee-jerk reaction, she pointed her machine gun to Kira and the blond, which caused Kira to jump up in fear and quickly get out of the way, dragging the girl by the hand as he did so.

"Th... this is crazy!" Kira exclaimed as he tried to get out of the way. Unfortunately, the ZAFT redcoats had not slowed down on their attempts to take the new Earth Union machines... and in fact, Yzak Joule and Dearka Elsmann had managed to climb onboard two of them, and were not activating them! The Duel Gundam and Buster Gundam freed themselves of their restraints and stood up, as their pilots appraised their capabilities...

"This machine is quite impressive!" Yzak commented, sitting in the Duel Gundam's cockpit. "What about yours, Dearka?"

"Doing okay!" the dark-skinned blond answered. "Update activated, nerve link reconstructed... calibration complete! I can move out! What about you, Nicol?"

The green-haired boy's finger rapidly danced on the keyboard of the Blitz Gundam's OS, trying to reprogram it on the fly. "I'm coming, everybody! I just need a moment..." he answered, before punching in one last instruction. "There! I'm good to go!" And the Blitz Gundam finally stood up, joining the Buster and the Duel.

"Where are Athrun and Shiho? They are late..." Dearka commented, his eyes darting around the battlefield as he searched for his team leader and the only female soldier of the group.

"They'll manage. For the moment, we are to retreat with these three models." Yzak concluded. "Take care not to damage them before we have delivered them to Commander Le Crueset."

"Acknowledge!" Nicol and Dearka replied, and the three Gundams activated their verniers and took flight, leaving the wrecked military quarters behind... and in the meanwhile, Murrue and her remaining allies were still desperately fighting to at least stop the ZAFT soldiers from getting the last two Gundams...

"Hamana! Brian! Quick, we have to activate the Strike and the Aegis!" Murrue ordered, failing to see an enemy soldier on a walkway above, aiming a rifle at her! Luckily for her, Kira did see that, and managed to warn her in time!

"Miss! Behind you!" he shouted. Murrue quickly darted around and shot her rifle, taking out the sniper... but bit back a curse as she realized that her weapon had jammed. She quickly hid behind one of the remaining MSs, just in time to see her two remaining allies getting gunned down by the ZAFT soldiers. Her teeth grit in anger and frustration, Murrue shot the nearest attacker dead, before turning to the teens, who were still dangerously close to the fighting.

"We... we're trying to reach the shelters in Block 38! Please, ignore us!" Kira anticipated her.

"That won't do you any good! The way is blocked!" she answered. "Get down here, quick!"

Kira and the girl looked confused for a second... but then, they decided to follow the young woman's advice and descended the walkway they were on, just as the two remaining ZAFT redcoats took shelter behind an overturned van.

"Damn, we're stuck here..." Shiho murmured, wincing as an hail of bullets struck the side of the vehicle with an enervating metallic noise. The girl took the opportunity to return fire, dropping the offending Earth Union soldier, while Athrun came out from the otherside of the improvised protection and gunned down another opponent before aiming his gun at Murrue. The brown-haired woman dove to the floor, in a desperate attemp to avoid the volley of bullets, but a lucky shot hit her in the shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain and drop on the plating of the Mobile Suit she was trying to defend. Kira and the girl gasped in horror, while Athrun discarded his jammed machine gun and grabbed a combat knife, using his jetpacks to reach Murrue and try to finish her off...

Kira grit his teeth and, determined to avoid any more deaths, jumped from the stairs and onto the Mobile Suit, ignoring the girl's shouts for him to stay there! Before Athrun could reach Murrue and finish the job, Kira stood in front of Murrue in an attempt to hold him off...

And that was when their eyes met, and both teens froze in horror!

"Ki... Kira?" Athrun murmured, stopping dead in his tracks, his combat knife still held high.

"Athrun?" Kira stammered. "Athrun... is... is that... really you?"

The blonde girl accompanying Kira frowned in confusion. What was going on? It seemed clear that those two knew each other, and were very surprised, to say the least, to see each other...

Kira and Athrun, even as they stood up, continued staring at each other in disbelief... until Murrue, getting a measure of her strength back, raised her gun and aimed it at Athrun! The blue-haired boy grit his teeth and backed away, using his jetpacks to hop on the nearby Aegis and climb into the cockpit, while Murrue quickly stood up and pushed the still-stunned Kira into the Strike's cockpit, before climbing in herself and closing the hatch behind herself. The Aegis and the Strike stood up a few moments later, as the mysterious blonde accompanying Kira began running to the last remaining shelters... and Shiho bit back a curse as she realized that she had failed her mission. There was not much more she could do there, so she opted to fall back and call for backup.

"Tch, I let that escape..." she muttered, as the two steel titans stood up, almost as if they were sizing each other, and explosions destroyed more and more of the military facilities...

**oooooooooo**

TO BE CONTINUED...

**Aaaand so, the events of Metal Armor Dragonar and Gundam SEED begin! I told you it would be a bumpy ride... and the action continues next chapter, when Kain, Tapp, Light and Kira get their first taste of a real battle!**

**Be patient, I'll update as soon as I can! See you soon! **


	6. The Fall Of Heliopolis

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S ZERO**

**Author's Note: Welcome back, everybody! Guess it was about time that I updated this story, wasn't it? Between all the things I had to do in recent times, and the fact that I was kinda out of inspiration, this update got postponed more and more... but now, I seem to be back in business, and I hope I stay that way for a while! **

**Anyway... where were we? Oh, right! Of course, we were speaking of the attack on Heliopolis and of Kira, Kain, Tapp and Light finding themselves forced to board the Strike Gundam and the three Dragonar units in order to fight back! However, as you can expect it to be the case, it won't be easy to survive the attack on their home colony... and even if they actually do survive it, this is just the beginning of their problems, as they now find themselves fighting in a war none of them wanted... For now, the important thing is to survive and head out of the colony before it is destroyed, but the Giganos and ZAFT forces lurking around will make that quite hard on our heroes!**

**We'll soon see how Kira and the Dragonar trio will fare... for now, let me just apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it took me to get my act together, and let's just enjoy the new chapter!**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 6 - The Fall of Heliopolis**

_Space Century 136_

_Tensions were mounting between the Earth Union and the colonies. Due to the Bloody Valentine and the Bunch 30 tragedy, these tensions soon escalated into a full-scale war. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the Earth forces, thanks to their superior numbers, would be victorious... but as the colonies fielded new weapons such as the Mobile Armors, these initial assessments proved false. _

**oooooooooo**

"The way is clear, everybody... let's do it!" Kain Wakaba enthusiastically said as he began maneuvering his Dragonar unit towards a breach in the hull of the ship he and his friends were in, eager to finally put the attackers in their place. The three Dragonar units slowly but surely followed suit, drawing their weapons and getting ready for their first battle... and inside his cockkpit, Kain was already shivering with anticipation. Piloting those new mobile weapon really gave a feeling of power and invincibility... but he shook those intoxicating feelings away, and forced himself t concentrate on fighting he Giganos units that were certainly coming their way...

He didn't have to wait long, as a volley of missiles struck the side of the hangar they were in, collapsing another part of the wall in a series of explosions... and soon after, a small group of the motorbike-like Gandora units showed up, speeding towards their new targets with single-minded stubbornness.

"So, here you are..." Kain said, gritting his teeth at the sight of the invaders. "How dare you attack my hometown and think you can do whatever you want? Tapp, Light, let's go!"

Leaving the Dragonar-2 and Dragonar-3 behind, the Dragonar-1 jumped down from the platform it was standing on and landed in front of the Gandoras, causing the Giganos soldiers occupying the cockpits to widen their eyes in disbelief and quickly steer to the side to avoid colliding with the mighty new prototype. Faster than they expected, the Dragonar-1 unlimbered its machine gun and opened fire on the Gandoras just as they were turning around for a counterattack... and one of the motorbike-like Metal Armors was hit and blew up!

"Hell, yeah! Now this is what I'm talking about!" Kain exclaimed as he saw his opponents scatter in a sudden panic, the Dragonar-2 and 3 descending from their platform behind him and getting ready to fight at their friend's side...

**oooooooooo**

"What's going on here?" Lt. Natarle Badgiruel, an attractive but stern-looking dark-haired woman wearing the Earth Union military's standard grey uniform exclaimed as she watched the images on the screen in front of her, showing the Dragonar units as they began fighting the enemy, and the Strike Gundam as it began making its way through the half-destroyed colony. "Why are the Dragonar units and that G-Weapon moving? I wasn't told about any of this!"

"Well, I'll be damned..." Sgt. Ben Rooney, a large and muscular man with a short-cropped beard and tanned skin, wearing a red vest with mimetic pants, heavy combat boots and a blue beret on his bald head, scratched his cheekbone in confusion as he watched the footage from the attack on Heliopolis... and the unexpected intervention of the very weapons they were trying to keep a secret. "Who on Earth could be piloting them now? The designated pilots for the G-Weapons haven't even arrived yet!"

"And they won't be able to..." another officer said from behind them. "Unfortunately, we've confirmed that the designated pilots for the G-Weapon were all intercepted by the ZAFT forces and killed before they could reach us! I'm afraid we've lost what little edge we had..."

Natarle forced herself to keep her cool, and took a deep breath, despite the fact that things seemed to be going to Hell in the blink of an eye. "Just what we needed... what about Captain Ramius? Have you been able to contact her?"

"Negative, Lieutenant... we still haven't had a response from her!" the other officer, Petty Officer Arnold Neumann, answered. Before Natarle could say anything else, though, Sgt. Rooney turned to the screen and tried to open a communication with the Strike Gundam's pilot... and he was quite surprised when he saw just who was piloting the G-Weapon! A young chestnut-haired boy, sitting at the console, with Lt. Ramius sitting behind him nursing an injured shoulder!

"What? What is a civilian doing here?" she asked in surprise, with more than just an hint of outrage at the fact that a mere boy had been able to sneak into the Strike Gundam's cockpit so easily...

Meanwhile, the Blitz, Buster, Duel and Aegis were taking to the air, trying to get as far away as possible from the battle that was raging inside the colony. Actually, it would be a gross exaggeration to call that a battle... simply put, Heliopolis was being destroyed, with no one in the condition to do anything about the advancing Mobile Suits and Metal Armors.

As Miguel Aiman, piloting his customized orange GINN, and his wingmen Matthew and Olor advanced, the young ZAFT ace frowned slightly as he saw that only four units matching the description of the Heliopolis Gundams were present... one was amiss, and the answer to his unspoken question came when Shiho's GINN emerged from the battlezone, rapidly retreating towards the escape route.

"Shiho! Can you hear me? What's going on here?" Miguel asked. Shiho's GINN fired a shot from its Ion Cannon to delay any eventual pursuers, before the young girl's garbled voice answered from the orange GINN's speakers.

"_I'm afraid the mission failed..._" Shiho answered, feeling a little frustrated at how close she was to capturing the Strike as well. "_An enemy soldier boarded the Strike Gundam and is currently bringing it back to the Earth Forces... I was unable to hijack it!_"

"What?" Miguel exclaimed, as the Strike Gundam came stumbling out of the battlezone, trying to avoid stepping on the fleeing civilians and to dodge the numerous attacks the invaders were sending its way. With a grunt, Miguel unsheathed his GINN's sword and placed himself between Shiho's own GINN and the Strike. "Okay, you go back to the _Vesalius_ and meet up with Cmd. Le Crueset and the others... I will try and capture this machine! Matthew! Olor! Cover me, I'll take care of the Strike!"

"_Okay._.." Shiho answered, taking off after the four stolen Gundams one second later. Miguel's GINN charged the last remaining Gundam one second later, and inside of its cockpit, both Kira and Murrue could see the rapidly-approaching cyclops Mobile suit, sword raised and ready to strike. Kira gasped in surprise and jerked the controls towards himself, causing the Strike Gundam to activate its verniers and quickly jump backwards as Miguel's sword only cut the air. Incredulous at his opponent's skill, Miguel turned his GINN to face the Gundam once again...and thi time, the agile orange GINN jumped up and raised its sword, trying to bring it down upon the Strike Gundam...

But he was denied victory as the Strike Gundam raised its arm and intercept the slash, causing the sharp blade to simply bounce off of the Gundam's body in a shower of sparks! Miguel widened his eyes in surprise and quickly maneuvered his GINN out of the way to avoid a counterattack. "What? What's with that armor? My sword didn't even dent it!"

"_Must be the new kind of armor they told us about, the Phase Shift Armor... once activated, it renders the GINN's sword useless._" Shiho answered, still not out of range of Miguel's comm. devices. "_We need beam weaponry to bring that thing down..._"

"I see... but even if its armor is that good, it will be useless if the pilot can barely keep the Mobile Suit standing!" Miguel quickly reasoned, launching another attack which Kira barely avoided. "Not to mention, even that Phase Shift Armor can't last forever! Sooner or later, that Gundam will run out of battery power!"

A well-aimed slash got the Strike Gundam on its chestplate, causing it to oscillate and fall backwards, demolishing a few more buildings on its way down! Kira grunted from a sharp pain in his arm and tried to survey the damage... and his eyes widened in horror as he saw a few shapes obviously belonging to Sai, Tolle, Miriallia and Kuzzey running away from the place, in a desperate attempt to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the battle. Unfortunately, their chances looked pretty slim...

"Sai... Tolle... everyone..." Kira murmured, trying to shake his dizziness away. Gritting his teeth, the young boy stood up again and got ready to face his opponent again... while Murrue, the pain from her wound lessened somewhat, frowned grimly at the orange GINN visible in front of them...

"This is bad... I know of that GINN, it's a custom model piloted by Miguel Aiman, a ZAFT ace known as "the Magic Bullet of Dusk"..." she explained. "At this point, we have no chance in a straight-up fight..."

"Maybe so..." Kira answered. "But if I can't drive him away, my friends will be in danger! I have to find a way to survive..."

"Trying to pilot that Mobile suit without training? You're in over your head, Natural!" Miguel exclaimed, diving down to attack again. The orange GINN thrust its sword forward, trying to impale the Strike's chest... but Kira, fueled by his survival instincts and his determination to protect his friends, quickly dashed forward and rammed the GINN's chestplate with the Strike Gundam's shoulder! Miguel let out a brief shout of anger and disbelief as his GINN was thrown backwards and landed on its back with a loud crash! Kira let out a sigh of relief and, trying to take advantage of the time he had bought, he started pressing a few buttons on the consoles, causing Murrue to look at him in confusion...

"What are you doing?" the young officer asked.

"Trying to reprogram this OS... the system is completely off!" Kira answered, never breaking his concentration, and causing Murrue to ask herself how could that young boy do such things with such seeming ease... "This is absurd, how could anyone expect to use such a complex machine with such a buggy OS?"

"It couldn't be helped... The system hasn't reached completion stage yet, we have to settle for what we have now..." Murrue explained, then raised her head in alarm as the orange GINN climbed back to its feet and stood ready to attack again!

"Damn you..." Miguel exclaimed, charging forward to attack the Strike with his sword. The Strike fired a volley of bullets from the Igelstelung, the gatling guns mounted in its head, peppering the GINN and causing it to veer off course... then, as the enraged Miguel attempted another sword slash, the Strike Gundam, now moving with a lot more precision and fluidity, dodged the blow and punched the enmy in the face, smashing its monoeye camera!

"Argh!" Miguel exclaimed as his GINN slammed into an half-destroyed building. "What... what's with this guy? Now he's moving a lot better..."

The orange MS stood up again and fired from his machine gun, forcing the Strike on the defensive as Kira tried to see which weapons he could use. Much to his displeasure, he found that, other than the Igelstelung, he could only use a pair of Armor Schneider combat knives stored in the Strike's legs. Knowing that there was no helping it, Kira unsheathed the daggers and dashed towards the Magic Bullet of Dusk, dodging the latter's shots as explosions rocked the earth around them!

"Damn piece of Earth trash!" Miguel cursed.

"No, don't do it here!" Kira shouted uselessly, worried that the ZAFT ace's shots could further damage the colony. "STOP IT!"

The Strike Gundam skillfully slipped through its opponent's attacks and slashed the orange GINN's arm at the elbow, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from it... then, it plunged the second Armor Schneider in the opponent's chest, and Miguel grit his teeth in frustration as several warning were set off in his cockpit!

"Ugh... can't be... Hydraulic system not responding... Multidrive system offline... Useless, I have to scrap the machine! Matthew, Olor, we're retreating for now!" Miguel exclaimed, punching a button on his console and starting a countdown before snapping his safety belt and abandoning his cockpit through a side opening and escaping to a safe distance...

"This doesn't look good!" Murrue warned. "Now! Step away from that GINN!"

Kira barely had time to register what the young officer had said and to resheath his Armor Schneiders before the customized GINN blew up in a huge fireball that tossed the Strike Gundam backwards, scattering burning shrapnel all around itself! Kira grunted from the unexpected blast and was slammed backwards as the Strike Gundam landed on its back... but luckily, he saw that the Mobile suit had not been damaged too much, and that even his passenger was okay. For now, things were going well... or about as well as could be expected, considering the ZAFT and Giganos forces were still raining down on Heliopolis, and the colony seemed to be on the verge of collapsing...

Kira quickly prayed to himself that his friends had managed to get to safety, before the Strike Gundam picked itself up from the ground and started walking away...

**oooooooooo**

Meanwhile, on board Giganos Empire's Copernico-class battle cruiser...

"Commander, we're positive that the enemy has launched the Dragonars!" a Giganos officer told one of his superiors, who was enjoying the view of the collapsing colony. "Our Metal Armor forces inside Heliopolis are taking casualties!"

The commander smirked cruelly at his underling's resume. "Heh... that's good, that means they couldn't hold back the D-Units anymore! What about the Gundams? Have our ZAFT allies recovered them?"

"We've recieved confirmation of four captured G-Weapons, but there seem to be problems with the fifth one..." thesoldier explained. "Anyway, at the moment our allies' GINN squadrons, led by Commander Rau Le Crueset himself, are keeping the colony's defence forces under pressure, and we believe it won't be long before the fifth G-Weapon is captured as well."

"Excellent... in that case, we'll send a squadron to pinpoint and capture the D-Units!" the commander said. "This will be a fatal blow to the Earth Union's ego!"

"Understood..." his underling answered...

...and a few minutes after that, while the battle around Heliopolis was still raging on, a squadron of elite Giganos Metal Armors floated out of the Copernico battleship's hangars - a stocky blue Drau and a bright yellow Gebaye, led by an impressive-looking red Metal Armor with a monoeye camera, jetpacks on its back and an helmet-shaped head, carrying a large machine gun in its arms: a Dyne, a particularly agile and powerful Metal Armor often used as commander of Drau and Gebaye squadrons, universally recognized as a deadly opponent!

"Alright, soldiers, listen up!" the Dyne pilot told his underlings. "Our opponents may be the pathetic Earth Union, but this time hey're using the Dragonars and what appears to be one of ZAFT's G-Weapons. Take care, and try to swarm those guys whenever possible."

"Yes, sir!" the soldier piloting the Drau answered cockily. "But I'm sure there will be no problem! We've got this one in the bag... along with a nice Selentium Cross!"

The Gebaye pilot was quick to agree. "Yeah, this time nothing will prevent us from getting a promotion!"

The Metal Armor trio sped towards the rapidly failing Heliopolis, while in the surrounding space, the defending Moebiuses were falling victim to the technological superiority of both ZAFT and Giganos Empire's weapons. Only Mwu La Flaga's Moebius Zero was still holding his own against his enemies, and had managed to down quite a few of them... but now, in front of a customized CGUE piloted by Cmd. Rau Le Creuset, even he was rapidly finding himself in a pinch!

"Dammit..." Mwu swore, his gunbarrels darting around in a vain attempt to hit the evasive CGUE. "Can't we do something against this difference in battle strength?"

"From the looks of it, there is an unexpected problem..." Rau commented to himself, easily dodging all of Mwu's fire. "A rather annoying fly buzzing around. It is highly ironic that we would meet here in battle of all places, wouldn't you agree... Mwu La Flaga?"

An electric jolt of some kind seemed to race through Mwu's brain, alerting him to a barrage of bullets coming from the opposing CGUE's assault rifle, and the blond lieutenant managed to veer his Moebius Zero sideways just in time to avoid being hit. His linebarrels headed back to the small craft, then they shot out again as Mwu made an attempt to catch Rau's CGUE in the crossfire.

"Rau... is that you, you bastard?" Mwu exclaimed in frustration as his opponent easily dodged all attacks. After all, there was a reason Rau Le Crueset was one of the most well-known and decorated officers in ZAFT military.

"You always seem to be in my way, Mwu La Flaga... though I imagine you'll probably say the same about me!" the masked commander shouted as he returned fire. He managed to throw Mwu off for a moment, which he wisely used to speed towards one of Heliopolis' entrance ports.

"Ugh... he's entering Heliopolis!" Mwu said to himself, trying to keep up with his nemesis. "You are not getting away, Rau Le Crueset!"

**oooooooooo**

"Even using Metal Armors now... what do these people think they're doing?" Aoi Wakaba asked herself as she watched the images from the external cameras with ever-growing concern. "Operator, have we contacted Giganos HQ yet?"

"Still no answer from their HQ... huh? What's this? I'm getting a transmission..." the other comm operator answered, before stopping to listen intently to the message he was receiving. For a moment, Mrs. Wakaba actually hoped that this would be the Giganos HQ telling them this was just an independent action, and that they would call off the attack at once... but sadly, as she saw her colleague's face turn into a grimace of horror, she understood that something really bad was about to happen soon! "Wh... what? You... you can't be serious about this! This... this is a war crime! They can't do that!"

"What do you mean, a war crime?" Mrs. Wakaba asked. "What just happened?"

The other technician gulped loudly. "It... it appears Giganos' Mass Driver has just aimed a shot towards Heliopolis! Estimated time of impact, 30 minutes! If it hits us head-on, not much will be left of this colony!"

"What? Are you serious?" Mrs. Wakaba exclaimed in horror. "Switch to Alcata orbit immediately!"

"It's too late, the asteroid would still hit us..." the operator replied, as a sense of dread and impending doom grew between the two of them... Heliopolis was doomed, with its inhabitants none the wiser... the most Aoi Wakaba could do was to at least try to save as many people as possible... "How's the situation of the ships?"

"Idaho and Archangel should be ready to depart soon, but they still need some time!" Mrs. Wakaba answered. "Lifepods are already being launched as we speak... we can only hope they find help soon!"

"All rescue units, listen up!" another operator exclaimed. "Set off immediately after taking the refugees in! A shot from Giganos' Mass Driver is heading towards us! All citizens of the colony, evacuate immediately!"

**oooooooooo**

"Dammit... watch where you are aiming, you idiot! You could hit someone!" Kain exclaimed after using the D-1's shield to parry a salvo of missiles from a Gandora. He retaliated with a quick peppering from his machine gun, hitting one of the motorbike-themed Metal Armors and turning it into smithreens, but he soon had to fall back as another opponent attacked with his missiles. A searing laser beam, courtesy of the D-2, speared the offending Gandora through the main engine, causing it to detonate, while Light's D-3 ran interference and swayed the missiles before they could do damage. Another salvo of missiles targetted the D-2 from behind... but Kain took notice of that and warned his friend of the danger!

"Take care, Tapp! He's behind you!" Kain exclaimed, just in time for the boy of colour to turn around and dodge the shots with an high jump. He quickly turned the D-2 around in midair and descended upon the Gandora, whose pilot only had time to widen his eyes in horror before the D-2's fist smashed his cockpit, and him along. The last few remaining Gandoras were either cleaned up by the D-3's precise aiming or fled, deciding it was a better idea to live and fight another day, and the three friends thought it might be a good time to breathe a sigh of relief.

Sadly, the situation would not let them. As soon as their hands left the consoles, a loud explosion tore apart the hangar's doors, exposing everything inside of it to the cold void of space, and sucking debris and everything not secured out of the colony! The unprepared Dragonar units were dragged along and thrown into space amidst the surprised screams of the young pilots, who desperately tried to regain control of their robots as the responsibles for the attack, a Drau, a Gebaye and a Dyne, appeared in front of them and fired away!

"Gah! Be careful, everyone!" Kain warned, once again using his shield to soften the blow. Tapp tried to aim his shoulder cannons at the attackers, but he underestimated their speed and experience, and every shot ended up falling too far from their mark to be really dangerous.

"Damn... this is infuriating!" Kain cursed, discovering much to his displeasure that fighting in outer space was a whole other can of worms with respect to gravity conditions. "And in all of this, I still haven't found Mom yet... Mom, are you still in the colony! Please, run away... I'm afraid this place won't hold much longer..."

This distraction almost proved fatal to the young pilot, as the Drau aimed its rifle at the D-1 and fired away, hitting the Dragonar in the side! Kain screamed in pain as he was violently jerked around by the blow, but quickly recomposed himself and gt ready to fight again, just as the new enemies began their assault in earnest!

"Kain, be careful! They're trying to get up close and personal!" Light warned from the D-3's cockpit. The Drau quickly swooped down to attack the Dragonar with the disk-shaped head, while the Gebaye chose to attack the D-2... and Kain's unit was soon faced with the red, and far more dangerous, Dyne, who managed to get the jump on him and forced him backwards, almost pinning the D-1 to the wall of the collapsing colony!

"Man, these guys are persistent!" Tapp shouted, two more shots from his shoulder cannons missing their intended target. The Gebaye attacked with its assault rifle, forcing Tapp to an hasty evasive maneuver, as Kain desperately searched for a weapon for close combat. The Dyne as a far cry from those Gandoras he had fought inside the colony, and it was already giving him an hard time.

"Give it up, Terran!" the Dyne pilot exclaimed. "I'll capture you as a POW and hand your unit over to my superiors! They will put it to better use than you could ever do!"

"Like Hell you will!" Kain shouted back. Finally, he managed to lift one of the Dragonar-1 legs and kicked the Dyne in its midsection, forcing it away from himself and buying enough time to reposition himself and shoot again. Sadly, the Dyne recovered earlier than expected, dodged the rifle volley Kain was shooting at it, and quickly closed the distance again, wailing of the helpless D-1 with its metal fists!

"Kain!" Tapp exclaimed, before making a desperate turn to avoid the bullets his opponent's Gebaye was shooting at him. The boy of color grit his teeth and dashed backwards, in order to have a clearer shot at the yellow Metal Armor, and lowered his D-2's shoulder cannons in an attempt to aim. "Alright, you Giganos scum... this is payback for earlier! Take this!"

The D-2's shoulder cannons fired again, and this time, the laser struck the Gebaye in its midsection, dealing a fatal blow! The yellow Metal Armor seemed to freeze in midair, as if flabbergasted at the fact that it had been defeated... and exploded one heartbeat later in a huge ball of fire!

"Nicely done, Tapp!" Light said as he fired his D-3 machine gun. He missed the first time, but the awkwardly-moving Drau was out of luck the second time, and the D-3's gunfire struck true, almost bisecting it and causing it to explode as well!

Kain, on the other hand, was using the D-1's hand to try and force the Dyne's mechanical, ominous face away from himself, but his struggle was proving to be a losing one against an opponent who was clearly more experienced and more skilled than him. At that moment, the D-1 was with its back to Heliopolis' outer walls, and the enemy Dyne keeping up the pressure...

"D-dammit... is this it for me?" Kain asked himself in frustration. Determined not to get killed in such a place, the young boy tried to take a look at his weapons... and just then, the computer on his console flashed to life, showing the schematics of the D-1... and, more interestingly, pointing to a weapon hanging by the D-1's midriff, which Kain had not noticed until then - a laser sword, very much reminescent of a Gundam's Beam Saber. "Huh? And what's that... a laser sword? Well, Ill be! That's exactly what I needed! Hey, you Giganos goons, I'm not done yet! Take this!"

With a sudden start, Kain pushed his opponent away, and the unprepared Dyne pilot was left fumbling around as the D-1 reached for one of the laser blades hanging by its waist. Kain quickly grabbed his weapon and activated it, causing a long, thin blade of green energy to activate wit a low buzzing sound. The Dyne pilot got his act together and shot his machine gun at the D-1, but the Dragonar brought up his shield and blocked all the bullets before dashing at his opponent, bringing his new weapon forward in a powerful arc and finally piercing the Dyne's chest, fatally damaging it!

"Ugh... Damn you... Terran..." the Giganos soldier choked out as his robot began to break down. "Long... long live... Giganos Empire..."

Kain kicked away the Dyne, and it exploded one second later, throwing the Dragonar unit back to Heliopolis... but this time, the battle was already over, and Kain was capable of drawing breath for a while, his heart still pumping from the tension. "Phew... man, that was hard... for a moment, I thought that was it... Hey, you two! Tapp, Light! What's your situation?"

"We're fine!" Light exclaimed. "But the colony won't be... the radars have confirmed that the Giganos Mass Driver has just shot an asteroid at Heliopolis! Estimated time for impact, 15 minutes! We have to get out of here, if we don't want to get caught in the aftermath!"

"What?" Kain and Tapp exclaimed. Then, Kain turned his Dragonar back to the colony. "Then... I have to go back inside! My Mom is still there... I have to check if she's alright!"

"Kain! You can't go back there!" Light tried to reason with his friend, who was already on his way to the collapsing colony...

**oooooooooo**

Inside Heliopolis, Kira and his friends were in a rather awkward situation as well. After Miguel and his wingmen had been driven away, Kira had landed the Strike Gundam and he and his friends had tried to tend to Murrue's wound... but as soon as the pain had subsided, Murrue had taken out her gun and pointed it at Kira, much to the small group's surprise and shock!

"What? Hey, hold on a sec... what's the meaning of this? We just helped you, remember?" Tolle shouted, standing protectively in front of Miriallia.

Murrue's expression didn't waver. "I am grateful for what you've done for me, but you kids have been exposed to a top military secret. This Mobile Suit's presence in this colony is something no civilian should have been aware of - and no civilian should handle carelessly, either." she said.

"Give me a freaking break..." Tolle sighed as he and his friend all stood in one place alongside Kira. "I mean, you just had Kira pilot the damn thing one minute ago..."

"Your names, one at the time." Murrue ordered. Starting from Sai, all the young Heliopolis inhabitants told Murrue their names, ending with Kira... to which Murrue nodded and introduced herself. "And I am Murrue Ramius, an officer of the Earth Union military. It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that none of you may leave here now. Despite the circumstances, the fact remains that you have seen an high-class secret military project. Until I am able to notify the appropriate authorities, who will then determine the best course of action, I cannot allow any of you to leave."

"What? This... this is crazy!" Sai exclaimed.

"This is the biggest joke of all!" Tolle exclaimed... just before an alarm signal blared from all of the colony's speakers!

"_A shot from Giganos' Mass Driver is heading towards us! Estimated time to impact, 15 minutes! All citizens of the colony, evacuate immediately_!" Aoi Wakaba's voice warned the population, causing both Murrue and the group of teens to freeze in fear!

"Ugh... me and my big mouth..." Tolle murmured.

Murrue lowered her handgun and frowned. The situation was getting worse and worse by the minute... At this point, there was no time to discuss about military secrets or whatever, all of their lives were in grave danger! "Tch... it appears there is no other way..." Murrue said. "You all, follow me! I will get you to the Archangel, the ship that's harbored in this colony... and hopefully, we can get away from here in time! Kira... you take the Strike and get out of the colony! The Archangel and the Idaho will follow suit... quick, there isn't much time!"

Kira was still asking himself was exactly was going on there... but he knew better than to waste time in pointless discussions while their lives were in danger. "All... alright!" Kira exclaimed as he climbed back onboard the now deactivated Strike. "Don't worry, everyone... I'll make sure I get out of here in one piece! You follow Miss Murrue to the Archangel!"

"Be careful, Kira!" Miriallia reccomended, before the Gundam's hatch closed. From one of his screens, Kira watched as his friends followed Murrue along a deserted road back to the military HQ. Then, he powered up the Gundam again and flew upwards, to the exits of the colony, hoping he would not meet with too many ZAFT Mobile Suits or Giganos Metal Armors...

"15 minutes to the impact... time is wasting!" he murmured to himself.

**oooooooooo**

In the colony's corridors, the batle between Mwu La Flaga's Moebius Zero and Rau Le Crueset's customized CGUE was still raging... but it was clear that the masked commander was about to get the upper hand. Neither the Moebius' Linear Gun nor its wired gunbarrels were cutting it, while the CGUE has already inflicted quite a lot of damage to the small flier, destroying two of the gunbarrels.

"Damn..." Mwu swore. "This is not looking so good..."

Rau smiled thinly inside of his CGUE's cockpit. "Well, Mwu La Flaga... much as I'd like to finish things with you once and for all, it appears I have more urgent matters to attend to." he said as he gave a quick glance to his consoles. "Furthermore, this colony isn't going to be around for long. You might want to get away from it, if you want to live longer."

"What?" Mwu exclaimed as the CGUE began speeding away. "Darn... just what I needed! Better get the Hell out of here, before it's too late..."

**oooooooooo**

"Let me go, you two! My Mom could still be there, for all I know!" Kain exclaimed, as he frantically tried to wriggle his Dragonar-1 free from the D-2 and the D-3 holding him. "Dammit... I need to save her! Or at least see if she's evacuated along with the others!"

"Don't be an idiot, Kain! That asteroid is about to impact on us!" Tapp tried to reason with him. "And that's not all... there's a couple of very large objects approaching this place! Battleships, from the looks of it..."

"What?" Kain exclaimed. Just then, a pair of massive objects emerged from the colony and headed towards outer space, trying to break through the huge army of Metal Armors and Mobile Suits (both ZAFT and Neo Zeon) swarming Heliopolis. A couple of battleships, to be exact... the lead one was mostly white, with grey and red highlights, and seemed to possess a couple of large, sturdy "legs" on the front part of its main body... while the other one looked a lot more bulky, with several cisterns mounted on the sides, and quite a bit more damaged than the other. Following them from a safe distance was the Strike Gundam, still moving quite awkwardly, its pilots trying to adapt to the new zero-g conditions... "No way... and what's hat Gundam doing here? Is it one of the Gundams you were talking about earlier, Light?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure of it..." the improvised pilot of the D-3 answered, remembering the blueprints he had sneaked a peek at. "The Strike Gundam, if I recall correctly... but I never knew there were two Earth Union battleships hiding in our colony! This thing is getting more and more messed up by the minute!"

"And it's about to get a lot worse! Look at that!" exclaimed Tapp... as the CGUE piloted by Rau Le Crueset emerged from the colony, trying to attack the escaping ships! The Dragonar pilots saw the Strike Gundam make an abrupt turn and meet the CGUE's beam saber with his Armor Schneiders, and barely managing to divert Rau's attention away from the two battleships, who were busy defending themselves as well as they could from the swarm of enemy Mobile Suits and Metal Armors trying to attack them. The CGUE quickly got to a safe distance, only to be met with a couple of shots by Mwu's Moebius Zero's linear cannon. Mildly annoyed, Rau quickly dodged the attack and got away from his opponents, eyeing suspiciously the Strike as it stood ready for another attack...

"_There is something strange about that Gundam's pilot... I can feel it..._" Rau thought to himself, before allowing himself a small smirk. "_Well, that can wait. For now, we've dobe all the damage we could..._"

"All units, retreat to the Vesalius and the Copernico!" Rau ordered. "For now we've done all we could... and the Mass Driver shot will be here any moment!"

The allied Giganos, ZAFT and Neo Zeon troops started a fighting retreat, stopping from time to time to fire some volleys at any would-be pursuers. The Dragonars soon approached the Strike Gundam and the Moebius Zero, keeping their weapons drawn and pointed at the retreating enemies.

"They're getting away! And what's with this Gundam? Who's piloting it?" Kain exclaimed.

A comm. screen opened up on the three boys' consoles, showing the helmeted face of the blond Lt. Mwu La Flaga, whom the trio of friends immediately recognized as an Earth Union pilot from his uniform. "There's no time to reminisce about that... we have to get away from here, this colony will not last much longer! Follow me, everyone... I'll take you to the Archangel's hangar, and we can clear up a few things!"

Some of the improvised pilots seemed to be about to object, or at least to ask a few questions... but they quickly understood that Mwu was right, and that they had to retreat while they still had time! "All... alright!" Kira answered, letting the three DRagonar pilots hear his voice for the first time ever since the mess had begun. Needless to say, all three of them were quite surprised to say the least!

"Kira? Kira, is that you piloting that Gundam?" Tapp asked the young boy. "How did you get in this mess? And where are Tolle and the others?"

"Tapp? Kain, Light?" Kira wondered aloud, as the Strike Gundam turned to the three D-Units. "I can't believe it, how is it that you got inside those things?"

"It's a bit of a long story... we'll explain everything later!" Light said, as the Dragonar trio and the Strike Gundam began following Mwu's Moebius Zero towards the Archangel - which Light correctly guessed to be the larger, "legged" ship. All but Kain, that is, as the Dragonar-1 pilot was still trying to get back to Heliopolis in search for his mother...

"Hold on a second! I still haven't seen if Mom is alright!" the youngest of the Dragonar pilots exclaimed. "I have to go back there! I just need a few minutes!"

"Which the Mass Driver shot isn't going to allow you, kid!" Mwu told him. "You need to think of saving yourself now... don't worry, I'm sure your mom is safe and sound right now! Quick, the impact is imminent!"

"You might want to do what he says, Kain!" Tapp exclaimed, as both the Dragonar-2 and the Dragonar-3 began pulling the Dragonar-1 in the direction opposite to the colony, in an attempt to get his closer to the Archangel and away from the imminent impact. Kain thrashed and protested... but ultimately, there was nothing he could do as both his friend dragged him away, getting closer and closer to the Archangel and the Idaho. The legged ship's hangars opened up, ready to let the new weapons in. The Strike, the Moebius Zero and the three Dragonars all entered the hatch, with the D-1 still putting up some resistance...

And that was when disaster struck.

It started as a blink in the distance... then, the reluctant pilots all saw its brilliance get brighter and brighter, as a small meteor, shot from the Giganos HQ on the Moon, darted towards Heliopolis... and struck, almost faster than the eye could see!

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. All Kain, Tapp, Light and Kira saw was a flash of blueish light going right through the colony with a deafening noise and speeding away in the distance... and to the untrained eye, it might have looked like the meteor has ethereally gone through Heliopolis, leaving it unharmed...

But this impression was horrifically shattered a moment later. Cracks rapidly started appearing on the doomed colony's hull, while beams of blinding lights radiated in all directions... and all of a sudden, the colony exploded, taking all the lives of those who hadn't been fortunate enough to escape with it! It was a terrifying sight, and even an hardened soldier such as Mwu La Flaga found himself wincing at that, as the wreckage that was once Heliopolis was engulfed in the explosion, shattering in thousands of debris which were launched in the depths of space.

In the Strike Gundam's cockpit, Kira Yamato turned his eyes away from the wreckage and cried for his hometown's destruction...

And Kain Wakaba, still being restrained by his friends, reached out with the D-1's hand towards the doomed colony and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Mom... MOOOOOOM!"

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Not that I'm really proud of how this chapter came out... sadly, I've been under some pressure today, and I haven't had the time to write it properly, but I will make sure next chapter is a lot more satisfying!**

**In the meantime, leave a review... and I hope to see you all again soon!**


	7. Silent Run

**SUPER ROBOT TAISEN S ZERO**

**Here I am! This fanfiction sure took its sweet time getting updated... but at least, I've managed to scrounge up enough time to continue it! And what a time it is for our heroes... Kira and his friends, along with the trio of Kain, Tapp and Light, have just witnessed the demise of their home colony thanks to Giganos Empire's Mass Driver, and they've got the joint forces of Giganos and ZAFT hot on their trail! THe Strike Gundam and the Dragonars are safely on the Idaho and Archangel's side by now, but if our heroes don't get their game up, they might not be for long. And just to make things more interesting, Giganos is about to send in its own aces as well. On the other hand, our heroes will soon make some new acquaintances and retrieve an old one... and some of those who are following my story so far will be pleasantly surprised! Others, well... not so much.**

**This chapter should wrap up the Dragonar / Gundam SEED arc for now, as we will later turn our attention to the older colonies, where Neo Zeon is hoping to spread its influence... and where another character who is very familiar to UC Gundam fans will move his first steps in the world of heroics! Think you can guess who it is? Well, I think I've given away a lot of things already...**

**Anyway, for now... enjoy the chapter! I hope it will be satisfying and makes up for the long wait!**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 7 - Silent Run**

Onboard the Vesalius, where the ZAFT aces had retreated following the destruction of Heliopolis, a meeting was taking place: the pilots that had tried to infiltrate Heliopolis and run away with the G-Weapons were now gathered around a table, watching a recording of the action that had recently taken place around the doomed colony, up to the impact with the asteroid shot by Giganos' Mass Driver. Along with Athrun, Nicol, Dearka, Yzak and Shiho, there were also Miguel Aiman, Rau Le Creuset, and the Vesalius commanding officer, Frederik Ades. On the screen, several scenes in quick succession were playing out, depicting the fight between the Strike Gundam and Miguel's customized GINN. It had to be said, for a supposed first-timer, the amount of skill shown by the pilot of the Strike Gundam was rather impressive.

"It is most fortunate that you managed to gather these images of the battle, Miguel." Rau Le Crueset said, his ever-present mask on his face, and his lips slightly raised in an interested smile. "Were it not for these as proof, I'd have become a laughing stock for failing to capture a supposedly easy mark. And, if the words of our Giganos allies are to be believed, the Dragonar units have given them a hard time as well. We might be looking at a tougher situation than we first anticipated."

Athrun, however, was only half-listening to his commander. His mind was continuously drifting off to the unexpected meeting with his old friend, and the fact that he had somehow managed to best Miguel despite that having been his first time in a Mobile Suit cockpit. And he could not stop asking himself several returning questions. Why was Kira there? Why was he helping the Earth Union... and how did he end up there, of all places? What had passed as a simple seek-and-capture mission had turned out to be a lot more complicated. In any case, Athrun knew there was a lot more to it than it appeared, and thought it would be a good idea to inform his commanding officer about that... so, he slowly raised an hand, asking for a word.

"Yes, Athrun?" Le Creuset answered. "Do you have something to add to this?"

"Yes, sir..." Athrun began. He cleared his throat, quickly chose his words and clarified. "When I and Shiho confronted that Earth Union officer with the Strike, there was another person there... a civilian... and a friend of mine, from when I was going to school in Copernicus. His name is Kira Yamato, and he's a first-generation Coordinator."

The news did not seem to faze the masked commander, but Nicol, Yzak, Dearka, Shiho and Miguel all sported various degrees of surprise over this revelation. "Hmm. That would explain how he was able to pilot the Strike." he commented. That was an unexpected development, and it was probably going to play an important part later on...

"But... why would a Coordinator be helping the Naturals?" Yzak asked in indignation. It was no secret that, out of the five of them, the white-haired boy was he most openly hostile to Naturals, a feeling that was shared by a rather sizeable portion of ZAFT military.

Athrun shook his head. "I have no idea... but still, I'm sure he was Kira alright. We were the best of friends, back when we went to Copernicus, but when the war broke out, we pretty much lost all contact." he answered.

Rau seemed to ponder Athrun's words for a moment. "I understand. Well, if that is the case, I think you can be excused from our next sortie against the legged ship and the Idaho. I cannot ask you to fight against your best friend, after all."

"Actually, commander Le Creuset..." Athrun answered politely. "I... I would like to request permission to sortie for our next engagement. I know how Kira is, and I'm sure he's just being manipulated by the Naturals. If I can convince him to abandon them and turn over to ZAFT, I think that would be a preferrable outcome for us."

Le Creuset could not argue with that logic. "Well, Athrun, when you put it this way, I see no reason why I should forbid you from trying. Furthermore, capturing the last remaining G-Weapon would certainly be better than just destroying it. Very well, then. Permission granted. However, should you fail to persuade him, would you be able to shoot him down?"

Athrun felt his heart skip a beat, but quickly steeled himself. "I... I will." he answered.

"_I'm sorry, Kira. But I have a duty to perform._" he thought to himself, hoping with all his heart it wouldn't come down to that.

Ades heaved a sigh. "With that out of the way, I think we should devote our attention to another urgent matter. That is, where the legged ship and the Earth Union cargo are supposed to be heading next." he stated. "There aren't many places they could go next, after all... not with what they're holding, at least."

"I agree. Artemis would be their best bet, I suppose." Le Crueset mused aloud. "Catching up with the legged ship before they actually reach the place would be our best bet, in that case. I don't think I need to remind you that Artemis' defensive coating might make a direct attack a dicey proposition at best. Therefore, as soon as our reinforcements join up with us, we'll resume pursuit."

"Sir," Shiho raised her hand. "May I ask what our reinforcements will consist of?"

"Marshall Iskandar Guiltorre himself assured me that Giganos will send their elite squad to join up with us." the masked man answered calmly. "A whole team of Metal Armors, under the command of Captain Meio Plato, will assist us in our operations."

There were no objections from any of those present. Captain Meio Plato, also known by his nickname of 'Giganos' Blue Falcon', was well known for his skill and efficiency in carrying out his missions, and was one of the best pilots Giganos Empire had to offer, disregarding some unwelcome elements... This, coupled with his last-generation Metal Armor Falguen, made Meio Plato one of the most dreaded field commanders in the war between the Earth Union and Giganos.

"Well, that's good to know." Dearka murmured. "With that guy on our side, there is no way the legged ship could escape us!"

Yzak sighed in frustration, not sharing his dark-skinned friend's optimism. In his point of view, Earth or Giganos, their so-called allies were still Naturals... why would they need their help taking down the legged ship and the escaped cargo? He just didn't see the point, but he wasn't about to discuss his commander's order.

"That is good, then." Ades said. "We should rendezvous with our Giganos allies in a few hours. For the moment, we'll be trailing the legged ship and try not to lose them. After that, we'll plan our next attack."

No one had anything to say to that, as the Vesalius continued on its way to pursue the Archangel and the Idaho...

**oooooooooo**

"Well, have to say, it's quite a nice mess we're in..." Lt. Mwu La Flaga commented as he stepped onto the Archangel's bridge, being greeted by Murrue and Natarle... and by the unexpected sight of a group of teenagers gathered together and looking all quite disoriented and confused. Which was understandable, the blond Lieutenant thought to himself, considering they had just witnessedtheir home city getting blown to dust... but it sure didn't make things easier for the Archangel crew. "So, to make a resume, ZAFT has managed to grab four of the five G-Weapons, and all weve got now is my damaged Moebius Zero, the Strike... and those three prototypes... the Dragonar, if memory serves... they've embarked on the Idaho. Things are looking up."

Natarle Badgiruel sighed at Mwu's sarcasm. "Well, when you put it this way, Lieutenant La Flaga... in fact, we can say that ZAFT and Giganos' actions caught us all by surprise. We were not prepared for them to launch an attack on a civilian colony."

"And now, we've gotten a group of civilians involved as well... which, for obvious reasons, means we are not at liberty to let them go." Murrue continued. "Furthermore, one of them is the only one who can pilot the Strike at the moment..."

"Understandable..." Mwu answered, taking a good look at the group of Heliopolis teenagers. "By the way, I haven't even introduced myself properly. Lieutenant Mwu La Flaga, Earth Union forces, 7th Fleet. I was acting as an escort for the orbital transport vehicle that was supposed to bring the G-Weapons' designated pilots to Heliopolis... but the convoy was attacked by a squadron of Neo Zeon and ZAFT units during the last leg of our journey. I was lucky to get on my Moebius Zero and fight my way through the ambush... but I'm afraid that the transport vehicle and its crew didn't get so lucky."

Both Natarle and Murrue felt their blood run cold at that. The ZAFT / Neo Zeon / Giganos alliance sure had left nothing up to chance, and they would do well to count their blessings in getting there relatively intact. "In other words, even if we actually were to recapture the G-Weapons by a stroke of luck... we don't have the qualified personnel to pilot them." Murrue stated. "Not to mention, those machines' OS is apparently a lot more complicated than we initially anticipated. Naturals just aren't able to control those things."

"It's just our luck..." Natarle sighed. The previous hours had been nothing but bad news, one after the other. To top it off, there was the fact that most of the Earth Union's commanding officers who were present at Heliopolis or in its proximities had been killed either by the attacking enemy or in the blast that destroyed the colony. The only surviving officers were herself, Murrue, Petty Officers Tonomura, Chandra and Neumann... and a few others, of which Murrue Ramius was the highest in grade. Which, of course, meant that now she was the de facto captain of the Archangel, a position she had taken with great reluctance.

"Anyway, Lt. La Flaga... we appreciate your hard work up until now. I am Lt. Murrue Ramius of the Earth Union Space Forces." she said a little despondently, doing a military salute which Mwu immediately reciprocated.

"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel, again of the Earth Union Space Forces." Natarle introduced herself. "We are pleased to have been able to count on your assistance."

"My pleasure, I can assure you." Mwu answered. "Anyway, with that out of the way... I would ask for permission to come onboard. I know my Moebius Zero is a little banged up at the moment, but every little bit help, I guess."

"Oh, of course, Lieutenant La Flaga. Permission granted." Murrue answered hastily. Having a pilot of Mwu La Flaga's skills onboard would have been at least of some help, and his Moebius Zero could easily be repaired, in any event. That was something positive, at least.

"Thank you, Captain Ramius." he answered. "Also, if it is not too much trouble, I would like a word with those civilians you saved during the attack. Is the Strike pilot still among them?"

Murrue nodded. "He is. And... yes, I have no objections. He's the kid with the brown messy hair, standing near that console." she answered, nodding in the direction of Kira and his friends, who seemed to be waiting for the officers to finish up their conversation and pay a little attention to them at last. If nothing else, they were eager to know what would become of them now...

Mwu smiled and waved to the still confused and frightened teens - although some of them, namely Tolle, seemed to be handling the stress much better than others. "I apologize for barging in, kids..." he said. "I am Lt. Mwu La Flaga, and I'll be joining the Archangel crew, at least temporarily. Are you the one who was piloting the Strike, back there at the colony?"

Kira and his friends stared at the blond lieutenant for a second, before Kira cleared his throat and answered. "Yes... that was me." he said slowly, fearing that he would immediately be ostracized as a Coordinator.

Luckily, the issue did not come up, at least in this case. "I understand... and don't worry, kid, I don't care what your genes are like." Mwu answered. "I just had to say that you were quite impressive out there. Not everyone can boast about giving Miguel Aiman, the Magic Bullet of Dusk, an hard time."

"T-Thank you, sir..." Kira said hesitatingly. It was definitely not something he would be proud of... "I... just did what I had to do. If I hadn't taken command of that Mobile Suit, we would have died for sure. But... what's going to happen to us now?"

Mwu sighed. He really dreaded that question. "That's a bit of a problem, kid... you guys weren't really supposed to see the G-Weapons, after all, and right now, you're the only one who could pilot the Strike. At least before we get to Earth and find a way to create a Natural-friendly OS..." he answered.

"Hold on a minute now!" Tolle intervened. "Are you suggesting that Kira keep on piloting that thing until we reach Earth? You can't just come up here and ask him to do so!"

"He's right!" Sai wanted to speak his mind as well. "We barely got out of that mess alive as it is..."

Mwu took a breath, having expected this reaction. "I cannot blame you for thinking that way, but... the fact is, the Strike and the Dragonar units are, as of now, our best hope against the Giganos / ZAFT forces. And believe me, they will do their darndest to stop us from reaching Earth. They know full well that they've got the advantage thanks to technological superiority, while the Earth Union mostly relies on strength in numbers. If the know-how of both the G-Weapons and the D-Units gets to Earth, it could very well turn the tide of the war against them."

Despite his extreme reluctance to fight, Kira understood that the Lieutenant did have a good point. Even the Moebius Zero was no match with the stolen Gundams, and without the aid of both the Strike and the Dragonars, things were bound to get ugly pretty soon. However, he was still hesitant to take that step, especially as it would mean facing off against Athrun once again. "I..." he murmured. "I'm still not sure... I... need to think about this..."

"Well, not that I can criticize you for this." Mwu answered. "However, I'd like you to keep in mind what I just told you... and by the way, what's the situation on the Idaho? Last I checked, they had boarded the Dragonars... but what of those kids piloting them?"

"We're getting a call from the Idaho just now." Neumann answered as he patched the communication through. On the comm. screen, the face of Earth Union Lieutenant Diana Lance, a woman in her thirties with a stern yet attractive demeanor and long, dark brown hair tied in a bun behind her head, appeared after a bit of static.

"_Idaho here. Archangel, do you copy?_" she asked, as soon as she was sure the link had been estabilished.

Neumann cleared his throat. "_Archangel here. We read you loud and clear. What's the onboard situation?_"

Diana sighed. "_We're in a bit of a bind right now. The Idaho just isn't big enough to contain all the civilian we've rescued from the lifepods... we would like to ask for your assistance in rescuing the evacuees._" she stated. "_More lifepods are still floating around Heliopolis' ruins as we speak._"

Natarle frowned. "That... will be difficult for us to do." she stated. "We're severely understaffed at the moment, and we are not allowed to bring civilians onboard a military craft in any case. These kids we've got with us at the moment are sort of an exception to the rule."

"But still... we cannot ignore that the refugees will be doomed if we don't do something about them." Murrue added. "So, as the acting captain of the Archangel, I say we should help them and bring as many as we can onboard."

"Captain, that's a breach in military protocol..." Natarle pointed out, by-the-book as she was. "And they're going to be in danger anyway, staying with us while we're being pursued by the Giganos and ZAFT forces."

"You've got a point here, Natarle, but they will die for sure if we don't do something to help them." the brown-haired Lieutenant answered. "So, I say we have some space to spare onboard the Archangel for them. Kira, are you willing to use the Strike to bring some of the lifepods onboard?"

Kira did not show reluctance this time around. After all, it was a duty that hopefully didn't involve fighting. "Yes, ma'am, I will do that. I was... somewhat concerned about the civilians as well."

Natarle was a little dubious, but decided to let it slide for now. "If that is the case... the Archangel will slow down its engines and bring as many lifepods as she can onboard. We thank you for your cooperation, Lt. Lance." she said, turning back to the screen.

"_Likewise._" Diane answered, managing a small smile. "_I'm afraid I'll have to cut the communications here. There is some... unrest onboard the Idaho._"

"Understandable..." Natarle stated. Here was another reason she was reluctant to bring civilians onboard. "We'll keep in touch to decide on a course of action. Over and out."

As the communication was interrupted, Kira began to make his way to the Strike, under the worried glances of his friends, and wondering whether Kain, Tapp and Light were going to be okay...

**oooooooooo**

Diana Lance was right. Unrest was the operative word for what was going on on the Idaho, as several civilians were loudly complaining about the treatment they were being given and the fact that their colony had been destroyed by an attack the Earth Union had pretty much brought on itself.

And sadly, Kain Wakaba was among the dissenters, albeit for more personal reasons...

"Dammit..." the D-1 pilot swore as the more cool-headed Tapp and Light tried to hold him off. "Hey, let me go, you two! My mother isn't among the rescued! I need to know where she is!"

"Please, calm down, Kain!" Light tried to assuage him. "The crew is already having their hands full trying to find places for all the refugees and treat the wounded, you can't justt barge in and demand if they've seen your Mom anywhere. I understand that you're worried and all, but..."

"Then why don't you just let me go, dammit?" Kain exclaimed, pulling his arm free of his friend's restraint. "I've already been through Hell and back just to get out of this place alive, and now I find our colony being destroyed, and my mother is nowhere to be found! I've had quite enough of this shit, and I want some answers, now!"

"Well, kid, guess you'll have to stand in a line, 'cause you can plainly see you're not the only one!" a large, hulking military man in a red shirt, with mimetic trousers and black combat boots said as he approached the trio of Heliopolis teens with a rather threatening attitude. Jolted out of their squabbling, Kain, Tapp and Light jumped up in surprise and slowly turned to face the newcomer - standing well more than six feet tall, with impressive muscles and a very short and rather unkempt beard, his bald head half-hidden by a blue beret, the man was looking at them in disapproval, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and his stern black eyes affixed on the rebellious Kain. Needless to say, the sudden appearence of such a huge and threatening person caused the three of them to immediately stop quarreling and stand on attention!

"Ack! We... we apologize, sir! We were... er... having a little misunderstanding, is all!" Tapp hastily explained, as a large sweatdrop poured down the back of his head. The huge man frowned and wrinkled his nose as he stared at the three of them, causing Kain and his friends to chuckle sheepishly and take a step backwards.

"Well, ya better make sure you can work well together, kids... 'cause those babies you brought on board - and by that I mean the Dragonar units - are useless to us without you three to pilot them! Thanks to your little stunt..." he cleared his throat and pointed at the three D-Units standing in a nearby hangar. "The onboard computers of the Dragonars only recognize you three as the designated pilots, and until we can crack the system open and understand how the hell it works, you're stuck on piloting duty. Tough cookies, kids, that's just the way it is."

"Hey, what's the damage with you, old man?" Kain answered, not in the mood for getting jerked around. "You're asking us to pilot those things again, after we barely escaped alive from our engagement? We're not even affiliated with the Earth Union, so we owe you nothing, is that clear?"

The bulky Earth Union officer was not impressed in the least. "Alright, kid... if you wanna be stubborn, here's the bottom line: as it happens, you wouldn't be piloting those little jewels just to please me and my superior... and God knows that I'd give my right arm to be able to ride one of them... There's the little fact that if this ship goes down, you and all the refugees go down with her, and I don't think you want that, do you?"

Kain grit his teeth... but he had to reluctanlty admit that what the man was saying was reasonable, which sadly meant that he, Tapp and Light were stuck being the pilots for the Dragonar units until the whole mess could be sorted out. So, with an heavy sigh, he acknowledged his defeat and stood down. "Ugh... okay, whatever you say, old man... we'll pilot those things for the time being, but that doesn't mean you get to boss us around, is that clear?"

The large man grinned in satisfaction. "Actually, my dear boy, it does... as temporary Dragonar pilots, you are now subject to the military code of the Earth Union, and I just happen to be your superior in this case. Oh, and before you even think of calling me 'old man' again, I'd like to inform you that my name is Ben Rooney... Sergeant Ben Rooney, to be exact... and when I say that you jump, I expect you three to JUMP!" He raised his voice at the last words, causing all three of them to stand to attention with a startled yell!

"Gee, just our luck. Running into a drill sergeant right during our first minute as enrolled pilots..." Tapp lamented.

"Hm. That's kinda better already." Ben grunted, his arms once again crossed in front of himself. "Now, I think you'd do better to help the rest of the crew with maintaining the ship. We are quite understaffed as it is, and every little bit helps. Do be ready to depart as soon as the Giganos goons rear their ugly heads, though."

"Yes, sir!" Light exclaimed, speaking for all three of them. The huge Sergeant nodded and walked away to assist another group of workers, and the three teens, relieved to be finally rid of the large man's disquieting presence, walked away from the hangars and into a nearby corridor, trying to reach a room where their help could be needed.

"Man, talk about your horrible day..." Kain murmured. "First under attack by those Giganos psychos... and then we're drafted into the Earth Union army to fight a war I couldn't give less of a damn about! And I still don't have half a clue where my mother is... and Kira and the others are on the other ship, with those other military loonies forcing them to fix their shit. Things are looking up, I guess!"

"It still doesn't make sense to me..." Tapp sighed. "So, Light, you're basically saying that the Dragonars and the G-Units have been built with the consent of the Orb government? What did you mean when you said that things are a little more complicated than they looked?"

"Oh, right. About that..." Light remembered, trying to continue the reasoning he had already started right before the attack had started. "Well, as I said, there are a few more factors in play. You were right, Tapp, when you said that there was no way Lord Uzumi could have had these weapons built for the Earth Union. It is well known that he despises the Earth Union's top brass, and the Principality of Orb's policy of neutrality is ironclad."

Kain frowned. Light hada point, things were getting a lot more convoluted than he had thought. "Hold on a sec, Light... are you trying to say that someone had the Gundams and the Dragonars built behind Lord Uzumi's back?"

"Why not? It's a completely feasible assumption, considering the amount of resources the Five Noble Houses of Orb have at their disposal..." the blond answered. "And if you're wondering who that might be, I already have a couple of names I can think of. Either the Sahakus or the Seirans could be the masterminds behind allof this... and possibly both."

Kain and Tapp noticeably winced at that. Neither of them liked the Seiran family, especially the designated heir Yuna Roma Seiran... and the Sahakus were little better in their books. The latter seemed to be an especially obvious answer to their questions, now that they thought carefully about it... it was no secret that the head of the Sahaku family, Rondo Ghina, had always pursued a policy of closer collaboration with the Earth Union, and his twin sister Rondo Mina, while more moderate, wasn't really all that different.

"This is bad..." Tapp answered. "In other words, we're stuck in this situation because someone in the Noble Houses of Orb is on a power trip..."

"In a nutshell, I guess that would be the case..." Light nodded. "In any event, while I admire the guy as a politician and a human being, Uzumi was naive to think Orb could have stayed out of the war. This incident did nothing but speed up the inevitable, really."

Kain rubbed his chin as the trio entered a large hangar that had been converted into a makeshift medical room, with several stretchers strewn here and there as more injured were being brought in, and the able-bodied rushed back and forth to give them treatment. "I see what you mean..." he said, glad to have gotten at least part of the picture. "Orb is one of the few places where Coordinators are not discriminated against, and could become an important piece in the struggle. Either the Earth Union will try to force Uzumi to relinquish his neutrality, or ZAFT will."

"That's pretty much what I was saying." Light said. "As soon as we have some spare time, we need to speak with Kira and the others about this... but now, I guess we have some more urgent work to do. There are quite a few injured around here..."

Kain winced as he saw the many injured civilians and soldiers laying here and there on the former hangar's floor. Much as he protested for his own situation, he was forced to face the fact that he had been lucky to be still alive and mobile, and suddenly felt ashamed at throwing a temper tantrum while other people might have needed his help. "Well... when you put it this way, Light... let's put aside all the political talk for now, nd let's try to do something for these people." he said, turning to a couple of young girls who were walking back and forth to gather as many medical supplies as they could. "Say, miss... might we lend you a hand with helping these people?"

The taller of the two girls, a beautiful blonde about Kain's age, with long hair tied in a ponytail and bright blue eyes, giving her a somewhat frosty countenance, turned to the Heliopolis teen. "Well, it's about time they sent us someone to help us... things are getting out of control here!" she said, allowing Kain to take a better look at her. She was dressed quite elegantly, with a light blue cardigan over a white shirt, a knee-length blue skirt, and white shoes over knee-high white socks. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with a pink ribbon, and a pretty golden necklace with a small emerald embedded in its center was hanging from her neck, probably a memento of someone dear to her.

"You can start by gathering a few supplies and placing them in the center of the medical room, right there. Of course, make sure they're in the proper order." she instructed Kain, handing him the supplies without even waiting for him to speak. "Also... We're receiving an overload of injured people, and we need to have a lot more disinfectants, bandages and the like to deal with all of them... so if you'd be so kind as to try and gather as many of those things as you can, we'd be deeply grateful."

"Well... I've never done such work before, but I don't think that will be difficult, now can it?" Kain jokingly asked, his previous concerns seemingly put aside for the moment. "And besides... it's a pleasure to help a fair lady such as you! By the way, my name is Kain Wakaba... may I know yours?"

The blonde girl sighed. From where she was standing, this looked like another guy who was trying to hit on her... but she saw no reason to be rude to him either. At least, this guy actually seemed to care about helping the injured. "I'm Linda... and my friend here is Rose!" she said as she motioned to the girl helping her, a petite brunette with somewhat childish features, sporting short hair and bright brown eyes, wearing a yellow short-sleeves shirt with blue shorts, and black shoes on ankle-tall pink socks. The girl named Rose stopped for a moment to smile and wave at the boys, winking at them.

"Pleased to meetcha, guys!" Rose introduced herself. "And... yes, my name is Rose, Rose Patterson. I'm glad you stopped to help us!"

This time, it was Tapp's turn to step forward. "No problem at all, Rose, it was our pleasure! By the way, my name is Tapp... Tapp Oceano!" the boy of colour introduced himself with a toothy grin. "And from now on, at least until we reach Earth, I and my friends Kain Wakaba and Light Newman will be the pilots of the new Earth Union weapons, the Dragonars!"

"But for the time being... we'll be more than happy to help you with managing the ship! Right, Light?" Kain added, giving a thumbs-up to his blond friend.

Rose seemed to be quite happy at the news. "Wow, for real? That's amazing, we'll be working alongside real military pilots!" she exclaimed. "Doesn't that feel incredible?"

"Er... whatever you say, Rose..." Linda stated uneasily. Since she had never liked weapons and the military, how Rose could be so excited was beyond her...

Light, on the other hand, was chuckling to himself at how his friends' efforts seemed to have doubled as soon as they had seen they would be working around two pretty girls in their same age group...

"Well, what do you know..." he mused to himself. "Looks like our pretty Linda and Rose here had an invigorating effect on our bold heroes! Oh well... notthat it's a bad things, of course!"

With that, Light followed his friends and the two girls as they resumed their work...

**oooooooooo**

On the Archangel, at that very same moment, Miriallia and the other refugees from Kira's group in Heliopolis were watching as the Strike Gundam elegantly glided back in the hangars, holding another lifepod. So far, the young boy had managed to save and bring onboard quite a few escape pods, and this one was the last they could afford to bring onboard. He wished there was a way to save all the others, too... but unfortunately, it seemed they were destined to wait there for a chance that another Earth union vessel might find them and rescue them.

With extreme care, Kira laid the latest lifepod he had recovered on the deck. The hatch almost immediately slid open, allowing the civilians out, among them a pretty girl with long red hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a pink dress, who immediately started looking around herself in a rather confused way. As the Archangel personnel began guiding the other survivors to the main bridge, where they'd later be relocated, the redhead and two girls her same age - that is to say, around 15-16 years old - stayed near the open lifepod, apparently waiting as the Strike Gundam powered down and its cockpit opened. As soon as she saw Kira descending upon the bridge, she immediately rushed him and enveloped him in a tight hug, much to the violet-eyed Coordinator's surprise.

"I know you!" she exclaimed as her two friends caught up with her. "You're one of Sai's friends from Heliopolis, right?"

Kira blinked, recognizing the girl he had a crush on... and that, sadly, was already engaged to his friend Sai. "F-Flay? Is that you?" he asked, wonder mixed with relief.

Flay looked up and nodded, fear and confusion still evident in her dark brown eyes. "Yes... I, Misha and Jessica managed to reach a shelter when the alarm sounded, but we have no idea what happened... what's this place we're in? And is it true that ZAFT and Giganos attacked us?"

Kira nodded sadly. "Yes... sadly, that's the case..." he answered as he looked as the three girls gathered in front of him. "I found myself forced to pilot that Mobile Suit, while Kain, Tapp and Light escaped thanks to another group of mobile weapons... and as of now, they're on the Idaho, the ship that's travelling with us."

"But... how is that possible?" Misha asked. "I... I mean, we were neutral and all... how come they attacked us?"

"It's... a little long to explain." was Kira's only answer. "And I don't think I have all the details as of yet... but suffice to say, the Gundam I was piloting and the Metal Armors Kain, Tapp and Light have boarded are the main cause of this."

Flay was quite surprised at that. "The Gundam? The Metal Armors? But... isn't this a ZAFT ship?" she exclaimed. "How can they be here, if it wasn't?"

"Don't worry... the Strike Gundam has been built under orders from the Earth Union military, and the Dragonar units were stolen from Giganos Empire by EU forces." Kira reassured her. "For now, we're in friendly territory. Come, I'll take you to the main bridge... Sai will be relieved to meet you again!"

Flay nodded as she, Misha and Jessica followed Kira out of the hangar, hopeful that their problems were heading to a close, and completely unaware that, not very far away from the Archangel and the Idaho's location, the enemy was already cooking up a plan to cut off their escape...

**oooooooooo**

A little later, onboard the Vesalius, the Le Creuset squadron was already prepared and waiting to meet their allies coming from Giganos Empire HQ. Much to their relief, they didn't have to wait for long before they were given the message that Captain Meio Plato and his team had joined up with the Giganos / ZAFT fleet, and Rau Le Creuset gave his underlings one last examination before nodding in satisfaction and walking to the door of the conference room to meet the newcomers. The five redcoats were all standing in a perfect line near the entrance of the room, joined by Miguel Aiman and his wingmen, and they all maintained an air of composure as they waited.

One minute later, the entrance slid open, and the man they all were waiting for appeared from behind it, already garbed in the decorated uniform of an high-ranking Giganos officer. At about 25 years of age, Meio Plato, the "Blue Falcon" of Giganos was the youngest Giganos officer to ever have attained such a rank, thanks in no small part to his impressive piloting and strategical skill, and the ruthless efficiency with which he carried out any mission. And meeting him in person could easily confirm this first impression: tall, robust but not bulky, with short and neatly combed beige hair and icy blue eyes, Meio Plato looked indeed the part of a staunch and loyal soldier, especially now that he was at the head of three lower-ranking Giganos soldiers, three teenagers wearing the standardized blue Giganos piloting suit and holding their helmets under their right arms. As the four Giganos soldier stood just outside the meeting room, they all stood to attention and exchanged a formal salute with Rau.

"Captain Meio Plato, of the Imperial Guard of Giganos Empire." Meio introduced himself in a clear, assured voice. "As of orders from my superior, I and my squad are here to assist your team in retrieving the stolen Dragonar units and the last remaining Gundam. Accompanying me are Ensigns Dan Kruger, Werner Fritz and Karl Geiner." He took a quick look behind him, pointing his glance at each one of his underlings as he named them. The three of them looked all very similar to each other, as they all dressed in an identical way. Only the colour of their hair distinguished them - dark blue and cut short for Dan, reddish brown and somewhat long for Werner, and blond and messy for Karl. "From now on, we'll be at your disposition, Commander Rau Le Creuset."

Rau nodded in satisfaction and motioned for the four Giganos officers to enter the room, where the young ZAFT pilots were already saluting. "It is indeed an honour tohave you along for this operation, Captain Plato." the masked commander stated. "As your reputation of a loyal and skilled leader, as well as an excellent soldier, precedes you. We are sure that your assistance will prove unvaluable in retrieving the Dragonars and the last of the G-Weapons."

"I thank you for your praise, though I consider myself unworthy of it." Meio stoically answered as he surveyed the well-ordered pilots of the Le Creuset squadron. All of them, especially Athrun and Shiho, gave him the impression of being people who knew what they were doing, despite their young age. "And I can see that the pilots of your team all seem very motivated. Which is good, we will need this spirit in order to achieve our goal."

"We are all honored to be counting on your aid, Captain Meio Plato." Athrun stated, stepping forward to meet the Giganos captain. "I am Athrun Zala, second-in-command of this team."

Meio nodded as he answered with another salute. "Hmm... yes, I've heard quite a bit about you and your companions. You have all been selected among many of your peers to don the red coat of the ZAFT forces, a symbol of skill and valor. And as for Miguel Aiman and his wingmen, word of your deeds has reached Giganos as well, and I'm glad to be counting on you."

Miguel, Olor and Matthew all nodded. "We thank you for your praise, Captain Meio Plato." the Magic Bullet of Dusk answered. "We will do our best to assist in this mission. We still have a score to settle with the pilot of the Strike Gundam, in any event."

The three ensigns standing behind Meio were not as impressed, though... and Dan did not resist the temptation of making an offhanded comment to his teammates. "Meh... color me indifferent. If they didn't manage to stop the Strike Gundam and the Dragonars from escaping Heliopolis, then they must not be that hot, right?"

Werner chuckled arrogantly. "Hehee... well, what can you expect? I'm sure they were only made redcoats because their parents are inthe Council, after all..."

Meio, overhearing the whispered conversation, clapped his hands and glared severely at his three underlings, causing them to drop the topic and stand on attention. "Karl, Werner, Dan! I don't recall ever giving you permision to make snide remarks on our allies. You have not seen them in a real battle anyway, so I'd advise you to concentrate on your own performance."

"Er..." Werner stammered. "We... apologize, Captain Plato! It... won't happen again!"

"See to it that it doesn't." Meio sternly warned, before turning back to Rau and the rest of his squadron. "I apologize on behalf of the ensigns. They are loyal Giganos soldiers, but sometimes their zeal can lead them astray."

Rau did not seem to mind that much, anyway. "There is no need to apologize for that, Captain Plato." he answered. "I understand that youth and enthusiasm can bring people to be rash, but I am sure your men meant no ill will to us. Well then, since introductions are out of the way, we should discuss our plans to recover the G-Weapon and the D-Units."

"Indeed." Meio commented as the Le Creuset squadron and the Giganos team sat at the table in the middle of the room. "The Strike Gundam and the Dragonars have been built with revolutionary new technologies that make them a lot more advanced than anything the Earth Union has fielded until now, including the infamous RX-78 Gundam. Even a mediocre pilot would turn into a serious threat when boarding those flawless machines. It is just our luck that the other four G-Weapons are in our hands."

"On that topic," Le Creuset stated, before turning to Shiho. "I have arranged for a new CGUE model to be shipped to the Vesalius, and you, Shiho Hahnenfuss, have been selected as that unit's designated pilot. The CGUE Deep Arms will serve you well in the coming battles, I trust."

The only girl in the Le Creuset team smiled slightly and nodded in gratitude. "I thank you for your efforts, Commander Le Creuset. I will do my best to bring down the Strike and redeem my previous failure." she stated, earning herself a rather disapproving glance from Yzak.

"Very well." Meio continued the conversation. "Now, as for the strategy for attacking the so-called legged ship and the Idaho... do we have an inkling of their presumed destination?"

"Indeed we do." Le Creuset answered. "Artemis would be their best bet, but we're keeping a close eye on all nearby stations as well. At the moment, we're pursuing them, and hopefully we'll get them before they reach Artemis... but just in case, we'd better elaborate a strategy to get through Artemis' protective shield."

Nicol raised his hand. "If I may intervene, Commander Le Crueset... I have studied the Blitz' features, and I can propose a plan that has some solid possibilities of working..."

**oooooooooo**

The space around Heliopolis had been turned into a sea of debris, twisted metal and tragic remains of what, up until a few hours before, had been a peaceful space city, with countless houses wrecked, pieces of steel and concrete listlessly floating around, and the occasional memento that something human had once been living there, such as a wrecked car or a crooked lamppost that had somehow survived the impact with Giganos' Mass Driver shot. Still, amidst all this tragedy, someone was at work to salvage what was left usable... and at that moment, inside an hangar that had been mostly untouched by the blast by sheer luck, a working robot was rummaging through the debris, in order to find something...

"Man, talk about a mess they've done..." the young pilot of the labor machine murmured to himself. "It'll take ages to find something usable around here... assuming there is something left, that is..."

Standing at the commands of the working robot was a young man of about eighteen years with light brown hair standing on his head in a rather weird style, a light blue band on his forehead, and wearing a light yellow, sleeveless jacket over a blue working shirt, not to mention old blue jeans and trainers - Lowe Gear, a young mechanic and member of the non-governmental organization called Junk Guild, was already getting annoyed with having to rummage through what seemed to be a mass graveyard, and he would have called it quits too... had it not been for him suddenly seeing something half-hidden by the debris. His curiosity sparked, he quickly maneuvered his robot to the place and quickly moved the debris in order to get a clear view... opening his mouth is surprise and shock when he discovered a Mobile Suit buried amongst the rubble, dirtied but still workable and mostly intact! It looked like a Gundam, with a red-and-white color scheme and a large katana hoisted on its waist... it sure was a treasure for someone like him, and his previous uninterest turned to joy and excitement!

"Hey, hold on a sec... is this what I think it is?" Lowe told himself, his fist clenched in front of him in a victory gesture. "Man, this baby looks like a Gundam alright! I must be the luckiest bastard this side of Mars! Though I have to ask myself what such a beauty was doing here... oh, no matter! Wait until the Professor and the other get a load of this!"

Blinded by his excitement, Lowe tried to lower his robot in order to enter the red Gundam's cockpit... but a suspicious movement from the other side of the abandoned hangar caught his attention, and he quickly looked in front of him... only to discover another Mobile Suit stepping out of the shadows! Much to his surprise, Lowe saw that it was another Gundam, very similar to the one he had been trying to board - the only real difference being that it sported a deep blue colour on its chest, arms, legs and feet, contrasting with the red hue in the same places of the abandoned Gundam. The blue Gundam was slowly advancing, in whatseemed to be a threatening gesture... and the young voice that came from the comm. systems confirmed that.

"_To the pilot of the working robot... relinquish that frame and do not try to impede me from acquiring it. If you won't comply, I will need to remove you by force. Nothing personal, I'm just following orders._"

"Ouch..." Lowe muttered to himself. "What was that about me being lucky and all?"

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Author's Note: Well, did you expect that little surprise at the end? Stay tuned for more! ^_^**


	8. The Chase Is On

**SUPER ROBOT WARS S ZERO**

**Greetings, everybody, and welcome back to this massive crossover story! Again, I hope not too much time has gone by since I last updated, and I realize that I should pay more attention to my Super Robot Wars S story, but the simple fact of the matter is, I have hit an inspiration high point for this prequel, and I need to do as much as I can before I run out of creative juices! Admittedly, the inclusion of the SEED Astray characters, which caught quite a few people by surprise from what I can gather, was not in my original plans, but I thought about it, and then I decided that no harm could come out of puttingthem in my story as well! Furthermore, they will interact in significant ways with the SEED cast, and hopefully I can put up an engrossing epic thanks to their inclusion!**

**But, I digress. Let's make a resume of the situation, before we get to the heart of the matter - that is, my new chapter!**

**Things aren't exactly going too well on the Archangel and the Idaho. Not only are they under attack from the combined ZAFT and Giganos forces, which have just recently joined up to pursue them... but their best chance for survival is the collaboration of a few civilians who seem eager to get as far away as possible from this war! It doesn't help that Meio Plato, the best pilot in Giganos' regular army, is on the case... nor that Shiho just received her trademark CGUE Deep Arms. **

**But there is an unknown variable as well... the Junk Guild, a non-governmental organization that salvages technologies of all kinds, has been poking around Heliopolis' ruins, and one of their best mechanics, Lowe Gear, has just found a couple of interesting Mobile Suits. Unfortunately for him, he seems to have hit a snag, as someone else is interested in seizing the two mobile weapons for themselves, and Lowe will have his work cut out for him getting away from the trouble he ran into.**

**Of course, provided he gets out of there, he will find out that he got a lot more than he bargained for... but that's a question that will be answered later on. For now, we have to concentrate on how the heroes will survive to fight another day...**

**What about the Neo Zeon forces, you say? Well, in fact, they didn't really play too great a part in the attack on Heliopolis... but that's because they are doing their thing elsewhere, and they are definitely not sitting idle! We'll know more about that in the next chapter, that much I can tell you. And I will definitely introduce another two series to the mix... I think you can already guess which ones! ^_^**

**Well, that's about it. I leave you to this new chapter, and I hope it will be enjoyable and leaves you wanting for more! See you soon!**

**Chapter 8 - The Chase Is On**

Lowe knew he was in a bad situation. He was in a simple working robot, weaponless and without any significant protection, and facing the wrong side of the blue Gundam-like unit's beam rifle... all when he was so close to taking possession of a unique and seemingly very valuable Mobile Suit! However, he was not known as one of the Junk Guild's best for nothing... so, he immediately started to think of a possible way outof this very sticky situation.

"Er... hey, hold on a sec here!" Lowe tried to discuss with the other pilot, or at least buy enough time for himself to make a comeback. "May I please know what the heck is this all about? Why do you need that red robot as well?"

However, the other person appeared to be a professional that was not going to be swayed by simple words. "_That, I am not at liberty to say. And, in any case, knowing that won't be necessary for you. I'll say it again. Surrender the robot you are trying to take, and we will be able to avoid unnecessary fighting._" he stated, causing Lowe to wince in annoyance.

"Damn, there goes my chance..." he muttered to himself. He took a quick look at his working robot's controls, and then at the blue Gundam in front of himself... and decided to go for broke! "Alright then, guess I don't have much of a choice, huh? If you want my robot, wise guy, you can have it!"

Lowe was sure he could feel the other pilot blink in surprise in the blue Gundam's cockpit, but he didn't really have time to think about that. Using one of many piloting tricks he had learned ever since he entered the Junk Guild two years before, the genius mechanic pressed a few buttons together and unfastened his restraints... and his robot took off with a sudden start towards the blue Gundam, catching the pilot off-guard! Lowe quickly ejected before the fragile working robot could make contact with its target, and landed with a thud near the red Gundam he was trying to scavenge from Heliopolis' remains... while the blue Gundam was struck by the unexpected attack and thrown again the crumbling wall of the colony's ruins, further destroying what little was left of it! The pilot grunted in surprise and annoyance, and quickly grabbed the opposing robot and shoved it out of the way... but Lowe had already bought himself enough time, which he wisely used to get inside the red Gundam and close the hatch behind him. Then, he sat inside the cockpit and, thanking his Junk Guild companions for the piloting notions he had picked up from them, activated the mysterious robot. Immediately, the cockipt was lit up by a plethora of luminous signals, and a large screen in front of Lowe blinked on, displaying the machine's status - still working, much to Lowe's relief - and what was probably its name...

MBF-P02 ASTRAY RED FRAME

"Well, what do you know..." Lowe murmured to himself, impressed with the new machine. Its speed, handle and maneuvrability were far above anything he had ever piloted before, and it was clear that this wasn't your run-of-the-mill grunt Mobile Suit. Of course, this raised several other questions, but this wasn't the time to wonder about that... "This thing actually works, and it handles like nothing I've ever seen!"

The pilot of the blue robot had just finished brushing off Lowe's distraction, and was now standing on guard as the Astray Red Frame slipped into a fighting pose, holding the Gerbera Straight katana on its side. "_Hm. So you do know how to pilot that Mobile Suit. You are not some amateur, it would appear._" the pilot said, his stoic tone never once faltering despite having been caught off guard.

"Heh, well... what can I say, they did give me some basic piloting training when I entered the Junk Guild! You never know what might happen..." Lowe answered with a nonchalant shrug. "Anyway... guess you won't just et me go if I asked you kindly, will you?"

"_Afraid not. My orders are still to capture the Astray Red Frame and the Astray Blue Frame and hand them over to my employers._" the other man answered, before quickly drawing the Blue Frame's beam rifle and shooting at Lowe's Red Frame. With a surprised yelp, the Junk Guild mechanic dodged sideways and managed to avoid the whitish-azure laser erupting from the blue Gundam's beam rifle. Then, in a fluid motion, he unsheathed the Red Frame's Gerbera Straight and made a dash for his opponent, who readily stepped back and dodged. Proving himself to be an experienced pilot once again, the pilot of the blue robot brought out his beam saber, which clashed loudly with the Gerbera Straight, causing a small layer of its blade to begin melting.

"Hey, hey... now, this is not a joking matter!" Lowe said as he broke the contrast and put the katana back in its place, then unsheathed a beam saber in order to meet his opponent once again. "You know how much it costs to forge such a fine blade? Not to mention the sheer amount of technical skills needed to fit it to Mobile Suit use! It would be a shame to destroy something like that!"

Again, the pilot of the blue Mobile Suit didn't seem fazed in the least. He simply stood on guard, taking one step towards his opponent and readying his beam saber. He was deliberately biding his time, waiting for Lowe to make a false move... and the Junk Guild mechanic was able to see that this was his opponent's plan all along. He was not taking chances...

"Alright, then... if that is the case, guess I have to do something unexpected to catch him off guard..." Lowe said to himself. He gave a quick look at the screen detailing his onboard weapons, wincing when he saw that, aside from a couple of beam sabers and the Gerbera Straight, he could only count on the Red Frame's head-mounted CIWS. Not exactly the most effective weapon once could use... "Damn, not much I can use here... but it doesn't really matter now. As I always say, one can always improvise... and this is where I'm good at!"

Without waiting for his opponent to lose patience with the cat-and-mouse game, Lowe grabbed the other beam saber and, taking his Red Frame in a spinning motion, he threw the laser blade towards the blue robot's legs, in an attempt to sever it at the knee! This time, the opponent was actually caught flat-footed by the unexpected move... and despite the fact that he had backed away, he still got his Mobile Suit's left leg damaged by the beam saber, which dug a gash in the armor and planted itself on the ground, dangerously close to the blue robot's other leg!

Lowe, on the other hand, could do nothing but wince in disappointment. He had hoped to do somewhat more significant damage... however, the swiftness with which his opponent had avoidedthe worst of his attack could only mean one thing... he was up against a Coordinator, and while he could think of several names of freelance Coordinator retrievers, one of them stood out the most...

"_I have to admit, you've got some skills._" the pilot of the blue robot admitted. "_I frankly did not expect you to pull such a stunt... and to actually be successful._"

"Well, I was actually trying to slice your Mobile Suit's leg off, but hey, whatever works!" Lowe joked as he held his remaining beam saber. "By the way... you managed to dodge that beam saber with such great skill that I can't help but wonder... you happen to be a Coordinator, right?"

"_Even if I was, what's that to you?_" the other pilot asked.

Lowe shrugged. "Nothing, really. I don't make it a habit to judge people by their DNA." he answered. "Just... call it a small curiosity on my side, is all."

He could swear he had felt his opponent smile inside the blue Gundam's cockpit. "_Well, you are a strange one, let me tell you that. There are not many Naturals who think like that. Nor are there many who can fight on equal terms with a Coordinator._" he stated. A blip on his Mobile Suit's interface distracted him one second later, though, and he quickly took a look around, his face turning into a suspicious frown.

"Huh? What's going on now?" Lowe asked in puzzlement. Just then, his Red Frame' comm screens switched on, finally allowing him to take a look at his opponent: a young man in his mid-twenties, with slightly curly dark brown hair and wearing a pair of orange-tinted glasses that contributed to give him a detached, professional attitude. His gray uniform was rather reminescent of those worn by Earth Union officers, though it was clear that this guy was not affiliated with the Earth Union in any way.

And that was when it clicked for Lowe - this man's fame preceeded him wherever he went: he was none other than Gai Murakumo, an highly skilled mercenary and leader of the group Serpent Tail, a group of pilots-for-hire known for their great efficiency! The young Junk Guild mechanic gulped loudly - the man's skills were not exaggerated in any way, and he knew he could count himself lucky to have survived a fight with him - possibly thanks to the fact that Murakumo was simply trying to disable his Red Frame, and that the Red Frame itself was far from your run-of-the-mill Mobile Suit...

"_Someone is approaching the Heliopolis space as we speak._" Murakumo answered, his focused expression not wavering one bit. "_I had specifically requested t handle this task on my own... I smell a rat here._"

Lowe did not know what Murakumo was talking about, but he was not about to just stand there and get killed... "Hey, hold on a sec here! What do you mean, you had requested... is this still about these two Gundams?"

A series of explosion rocked violently what little remained of Heliopolis, causing both Lowe and Murakumo to be thrown around in their cockpits, only their safety belts sparing them from serious injury. With a frustrated grunt, Lowe opened his own radar as well, and saw that several Mobile suits were approaching Heliopolis, targetting the ruins of the colony with beam rifles and other weapons. But what was most surprising was, their heat signatures matched those of Mobile Suits used by the Earth Union, and Lowe had no idea what they were doing, in such a place...

"_Looks like I've been double-crossed._" Murakumo revealed. "_My mission was to recover these Mobile Suits, the Astray Red Frame and the Astray Blue Frame, and deliver them to our client... but it seems that all they wanted me to do was find them, and they think they can get them just fine by themselves. I'm pretty sure they want me out of the way as a potentially dangerous witness._"

"Well, in that case..." Lowe smiled astutely and drew his katana, getting the Red Frame in a fighting pose. "I think we should team up for now. The simple fact that I'm here makes me a witness as well, and I'm sure they'll try to take me out as well. And, frankly speaking, I have no desire to go out just yet! Not until I've discovered all there is to know about these strange Gundams!"

Murakumo smiled slightly. "_You do not seem to have a problem teaming up with someone who was trying his hardest to defeat you just one moment ago. But, I'm not one to turn down help if needed. Okay, they're approaching the colony. I can see several kinds of Mobile Suits among them... Marasai, Hi-Zack, a few Gabthleys... mostly Mobile Suits that whave been used by the Titans during the Gryps Wars. Oh, and a few Moebius units as well._"

"Nothing I'm unfamiliar with then!" Lowe smirked. "Let's go, then!"

"_Hold on a second, the enemy has a great advantage in numbers, and..._" Murakumo started to say, before Lowe and his Red Frame took off in a nearby crridor, eager to meet the enemy. The Coordinator mercenary sighed and shook his head, before turning to another corridor and flying his Blue Frame towards it, a plan already forming in his mind to take down the approaching enemy...

Opening a comm. channel with his comrades, who were probably standing by in a nearby place, Murakumo took a good look in front of himself, in order to make sure no one could blindside him, before speaking. "Elijah, Murakumo here. It appears we have been double-crossed by our client. They have sent several Mobile suits to eliminate us... it appears that these units we were after hide more than meets the eye. Stand ready, I have no idea how exactly how many opponents I'm facing, and I'm not about to take chances."

"_Acknowledge. We'll move out as soon as we can._" a young male voice answered. Murakumo nodded and got ready for the fight, hoping that fool in the Red Frame was not going to get himself killed...

**oooooooooo**

Several Mobile Suits and Moebius units were at the moment approaching the remains of Heliopolis, their gun trailed and pointed to whatever opening a Mobile Suit could conceivably come out from. Among them, a group of light red Marasai units with an helmet-like head and carrying beam rifles and shields was at the moment floating towards a rather large breach in the colony's outer hull, hoping to get inside and take the occupants by surprise.

"Gentlemen, please remain in formation." the squad leader instructed his men. "We are dealing with a rather toughened professional here, and the only way we can hope to pull a win against him is to overpower him with sheer numbers. Take care, just because he's alone, doesn't mean he's not a threat."

The Marasais slowly approached the colony, entering through the gash blown upon it, and began scanning the area around themselves, looking for any possible threat. As soon as they were satisfied that nothing dangerous was around, they began moving forward inch by inch, their beam rifles still up and ready to fire...

"It's all too quiet here... I don't like this one bit..." one of the pilots said... and just as he had finished saying that, fate showed him that it could have a rather twisted sense of humour, in the form of a red fash of light that descended down upon the group of attackers! There was a flash of something sharp and metallic, and a jarring noise of steel being cleaved, as the Red Frame's Gerbera Straight sliced through the torso of a Marasai, bisecting the Earth Union Mobile Suit which exploded one moment later! Scared and surprised by the sudden attack, the remaining Earth Union soldiers turned in the direction of the attack and blindly fired at the perceived threat... but the Astray Red Frame was too fast for them to follow, and it was out of the way before they could do anything about it.

"Heh... Earth Union forces, huh? Talk about a surprise, they normally don't have business in this place!" Lowe jokingly said. Despite his laid-back attitude, though, he knew all too well that he couldn't hope to stand against such greater numbers with his Astray Red Frame alone, and before the Marasais could mount a counterattack, he backed away, retreating in the inner recesses of the destroyed colony in order to force his pursuers into a wild goose chase. The enemies fired a few shots at him, missing all the time, before he disappeared from their sight, at which point several Marasais and Hi-Zacks detached themselves from the main formation in order to chase after him.

"What's that about? That guy was definitely not Gai Murakumo!" one of the Hi-Zach pilots exclaimed almost indignantly. "What's going on around here? We were never told anything about there being other people!"

"Quit your whining, you!" a Marasai pilot shut him up. "You sure didn't expect things to go smoothly all the time, did you? If there's someone else trying to get the jump on us, we'll simply take them out and get the Mobile Suits, simple as that!"

"Alright, alright..." the first Earth Union soldier said in annoyance. "Geez, one can't even say what he..."

He stopped short of saying the whole sentence as a sudden warning sign lit up on his console, causing him and his companions to turn around in a frantic attempt to defend themselves... whih turned out to be useless as a barrage of missiles struck the ceiling above them, collapsing a whole section of the colony above them! Most of the pilots were able to steer their Mobile Suits away from the danger zone before getting crushed, but two of them didn't make it. As the survivors looked in the direction from which the missiles had come, they managed to see the Astray Blue Frame, a barreled missile launcher held in its hands, getting quickly away in order to throw its pursuers off.

"Ugh... that was Gai Murakumo alright!" another Earth Union pilot muttered. "So we're now dealing with two Serpent Tail flunkies! That's just great!"

"Let's get the heck out of here. As long as we stay in the debris of Heliopolis, those guys will be able to decimate us with guerrilla tactics." the squad leader ordered. "We'll surround the colony, and wait for them to come out, then we'll have no problem destroying them by ganging up on them!"

The other pilots were all too glad to follow the order, and followed their leader out of the opening from which they had entered the ruins of Heliopolis, rejoining the other Mobile suits who had remained out just in case. There were about thirty or so Mobile Suits and Moebius units, more thanenough to overpower the Astray frames had they tried to get away...

In the innermost parts of the colony, Lowe and Murakumo had not remained indifferent to the fact the enemy was trying to lure them out... and both of them were well aware that there was only so long they could hold out inside the colony's remains. The young Junk Guild member looked around nervously, and quickly opened a communication with the Blue Frame. "Hey, pal, we seem to be in a bit of a pinch here! Those guys have given up on following us, and they're waiting for us outside the colony! We can't face all of them put together... do you have any idea?"

"_We just need to hold out for a few minutes at most._" Murakumo answered calmly. "_In the meanwhile, stay where you are and don't try to do anything rash._"

"Alright..." Lowe answered, wincing a little at the subtle sarcasm in the Blue Frame's pilot voice. He had to admit, the idea of attacking first to throw off the enemy hadn't really been all that thought-out,but at least it had worked for the time being. He was just hoping that Murakumo was right... not that he doubted the skills of the Serpent Tail leader, but it was hard to think of a way out of a destroyed colony surrounded with Earth Union Mobile Suits...

Outside, the Earth Union forces were still waiting, keeping their aim on the colony... when several of their proximities alarm went off, signalling that an unidentified fleet and an unidentified ship were closing in from two different directions! "Huh? What on... damn, they're surrounding us! Everyone, we have several unidentified units closing in on us! If we stay here much longer, we'll get all our escape routes cut from us!"

"Damn... just when we thought we had those guys!" another pilot exclaimed in annoyance. "Guess we have no chance but to retreat now, then..."

As if to underscore how right he was, a barrage of laser beams came from the Earth Union's group right, blasting several Moebius units before they could even fight back... and when the others turned in that direction, they were greeted with the sight of several Mobile Suits, mostly GINN and other ZAFT models, firing at them for all they were worth! At the head of the attacking force was a customized blue GINN with a bladed crest on its head, holding an heavy machinegun in its hands, with which it was wreaking havoc in the attacking force! The figure of a snake was emblazoned on its chest, a dead giveaway to its provenience.

"Damn it! It's Serpent Tail... they didn't come unprepared after all!" an Earth Union pilot swore.

"Spread out and take them from several directions! Try to keep them all in one place!" the pilot of the blue GINN, an handsome teenaged boy with short white hair and cold blue eyes, instructed his wingmen just as the enemies started firing back. The fight seemed to be more even now, with the intervening force taking losses as well thanks to the Marasai's long-distance weapons and the Moebius units' gunbarrels, but it was clear that the Serpent Tail formation was gaining the upper hand, and the Earth forces were getting pushed backwards more and more... and just to make things worse for them, the unknown ship they had intercept a little earlier came into view: a long, rather run-down-looking ship with several iron appendages sticking out of several places in its outer hull, for whch it was hurling large pieces of debris at the Earth Union force! Caught off guard by this improvised weapon, the Mobile Suits and their pilots went into disarray for a moment... and when the Astray Red Frame and Astray Blue Frame took advantage of the distraction and remerged from its outer hull, the attacking force knew it was in over their heads! Murakumo managed to dodge two Marasai's fire and struck both of them with lethally accurate shots frrom his beam rifle, before the rest of the Earth Union forces broke ranks.

"Ugh... we've lost the advantage! Remaining here would be too risky!" an higher-ranking pilot exclaimed as he maneuvered his Hi-Zack away, taking a few Marasais, Hi-Zacks and Moebiuses with him. "Retreat! We'll have to report the failure of our mission..."

"Tch... the big boss won't be happy about this, you can bet your ass!" another soldier exclaimed. Of course, the fact that the Earth Union attack force was turning tail and running was a great relief for Lowe... as was the sight of the strange garbage-chucking battleship, who had ceased attacking and was now greeting him in a rather informal way.

"Yo, guys! You came just in time, I and my... friend here were beginning to be in hot water!" Lowe exclaimed, as the face of a beautiful woman with long, curly dark red hair and large looking glasses appeared on his screen. "Well, what do you think of this baby I'm riding right now? Let me tell you, this is the best Mobile suit I've ever had the fortune of stumbling upon!"

The woman chuckled gently. "Always the mecha nerd, right, Lowe? And about your friend in the blue Gundam and his companions right there..." she pointed to the Serpent Tail attacking force, who were still firing a few warning shots at the retreating Earth Union forces. "Exactly, what's Serpent Tail doing here? Unless there was something really valuable inside of that colony, one wouldn't hire such a well-known... and expensive... group of professionals."

"Well, it's kinda a long story, Professor..." Lowe chuckled. "Let's just say I and Gai Murakumo here... had a bit of a rough start, and we needed to put that aside when those Earth Union goons showed up! Er... and by the way, Gai's mission happened to be to retrieve these Gundam units..."

"_Not anymore._" Murakumo interrupted him. "_The ones that employed us to retrieve these units have backstabbed us, therefore I consider our contract with them to be null. These are the rules of Serpent Tail. I will keep this Astray Blue Frame as my personal unit, as only a fool would let such a powerful machine go to waste. You can keep that Red Frame as well, I don't really care at this point._"

"_Are you sure it's a good idea, Gai?_" asked another voice from the Blue Frame's speaker, this one belonging to the white-haired teen piloting the customized blue GINN in Serpent Tail's ranks. "_Letting a potential rival have the Astray Red Frame... couldn't it prove detrimental to us?_"

"_Under normal conditions, I'd agree with you, Elijah._" Murakumo answered. "_But these guys are from the Junk Guild, and as you know, they have always kept neutral in such debacles. Furthermore, I really don't feel like fighting more, at the moment._"

The white-haired youngster named Elijah shrugged, accepting his leader's explanation, and the Astray Blue Frame rejoined this Serpent Tail companions, with Murakumo issuing one final warning to Lowe. "_Our ways split here, it seems. Still, I'd advise you to watch your backs. I know you of the Junk Guild don't get involved in wars or the like, but you can bet that those who wanted that suit will try to take it back from you._" he stated. "_Best of luck to you._"

Lowe gave Murakumo a thumbs-up, in his usual jolly, unconcerned way. "Well, same to you! Don't worry, we might not want to get involved in disputes, but we know how to defend ourselves!" he said, as Serpent Tail was already getting back to their ship. With a relieved sigh, Lowe turned back to the Professor. "And that's about it, Prof. This is the gist of what we happened to run into. Still, with this baby in our hands, I'd say that it was worth the trouble!"

"You always have a way to make it sound not that big a deal..." a short, tomboyish-looking girl with rather messy red hair, wearing a violet jacket and a black tube top, told Lowe from another comm. screen. "Anyway, Lowe, while you were busy playing hide-and-seek with Serpent Tail and the Earth Union goons, we picked up a lifeboat that had drifted away from the others. Strangely enough, there was only one civilian inside... a woman, and a Natural from what we could discern. We brought her to the HOME's infirmary, but she doesn't look worrying anyway."

"Well, that's good to know!" Lowe answered with a nod. "Anyway, if you ask me, we should hightail it outta here, before someone else comes! Open the hangars, Kisato, I'm getting back!"

The redhaired girl named Kisato winked in acknowledgement. "Of course!" she said, as the HOME retreated its manipulating arms and opened the hatch of its hangar, allowing Lowe to drift inside of it with his newly-caught machine...

**oooooooooo**

Whoever said that war is long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror was probably right... but at the moment, this couldn't be said of the crews of both the Archangel and the Idaho, as the understaffed and underequipped ships were still trying to handle all the issues they were having with the many civilians that had been brought onboard. Supplies were short, not to mention the wounded that needed treatment, and were unable to receive it. Even without having to board the Dragonars and the Strike Gundam to head into battle, Kira, Kain, Tapp and Light were having their hands full...

"Well, looks like those Giganos and ZAFT goons have given up on pestering us for now..." Kain said, taking a short break to catch his breath after carrying several crates worth of supplies, soap, medical equipment and other first-necessity items. "As tiring as ship duty is, I'll take this over duking it out in those damn machines..."

"For once, Kain... we're in complete agreement!" Tapp answered.

Linda, the blonde girl who he had met as soon as he and his friends had officially become part of the Idaho's crew, stopped by the trio to egg them on a little. "Well, it's a very tiring job indeed, but we have no time to stop and complain about it." she said, somewhat severely. "We have so many things to do and so little time in which to do it, that we have to be constantly on the move."

"Yeah, sure..." Kain said, picking up the crate he was carrying once again. "We were just saying that... we're not used to this situation, that's all."

Light sighed. "Well, better get a move on then, because I'm afraid that, at least until these ships reach Earth and deliver what they need to deliver to the Earth Union government, we are stuck here... by the way, Linda, are there any news on our pursuers? Do we expect to be attacked soon?"

The blonde girl shrugged. "We can expect to be attacked anytime, now... I have caught a bit of the onboard officers' discussion, and it appears that the Archangel has sent decoys towards Side 3, in an attempt to throw Rau Le Crueset off... but they don't think it will be more than a temporary distraction at best." she stated in obvious worry. "I'm afraid you'll need to be ready to go out soon, we won't be able to distance them before we get to Artemis."

"Naturally..." Light answered. "Le Crueset is probably ZAFT's most decorated officer, and he's more than earned that Order of the Nebula he got. I'm afraid he will see clearly through such an obvious ploy. And let's not forget, he's probably gotten more backup from his Giganos allies... it won't be easy to stand up to those guys."

To Kain, who was the closest to her, it seemed like Linda had stiffened at the mention of the name Giganos, but she was back to normal so quickly that the young Natural assumed that his eyes were playing a trick on him. Tapp sighed, as he placed another crate together with several others. "Well, there's no helping it, is there? If worse comes to worse, we'll grab the Dragonars and fight our way through. After all, we've seen what those machines can do... it won't be a few measly Metal Armors to stop us!"

"I wish I was as optimistic as you are..." Light murmured, knowing all too well how dire their chances appeared.

"Linda! Guys! Could you come here for a moment, please?" Rose, Linda's brown-haired friend, called to them from the other side of the makeshift infirmary. "I'm afraid we're out of gauze and disinfectants once again..."

"Coming, Rose!" Linda answered, and the quartet began making their way through the crowded room to reach her...

**oooooooooo**

The mood, if at all possible, was even gloomier onboard the Archangel, as Kira was rather dejectedly observing as several technician worked on outfitting the Strike Gundam with what looked like new equipment - Aile Striker Pack, he was sure he had heard - that would allow for greater mobility and grant the Gundam some firepower using a beam rifle and a beam saber, instead of simply relying on the CIWS and the Armor Schneiders. It seemed that the Archangel had managed to salvage a few more Striker Packs, namely the Sword and the Launcher, but he had not had the chance to see them.

So absent Kira was, he almost didn't notice Lt. Mwu La Flaga and a few of his friends from Heliopolis until they were practically in his face, and the young Coordinator was jolted out of his reverie. "Oh... hi, everyone. Lt. La Flaga, sir..." he murmured.

"Just Mwu is alright, kid. I'm not such a stickler for formality." the blond Lieutenant answered. "Anyway, didn't expect you to be here, of all places. Your friends and I thought you'd be in your room... this has been quite an exhausting ordeal."

"Well..." Kira sighed. "If I need to sortie as soon as ZAFT shows up again, I thought I'd better get accustomized with the Mobile Suit I'm piloting. And I can see theyre already doing a few modifications."

"Actually, those would be called Striker Packs... but the gist of it is the same." Sai explained. "Those add-ons to the Strike allow the Strike to be outfitted for alll-around combat, heavy assault, or heavy melee combat. Which is fortunate, considering we have no idea what we're going to face later on..."

"I understand... by the way, where are Flay and her friends? I haven't seen them around here..." Kira asked, somewhat concerned for the redhead.

Miriallia rubbed her forehead in thought. "Well... last time I saw them, they were holed up in their rooms, and I don't think they will come out of them anytime soon. Not that I can blame them of course... the recent happenings have taken a toll on all of us."

"Yeah..." Kira agreed. "By the way... Lieutenant La Flaga, do we have news on ZAFT's position? Have we got a chance to lose them?"

Mwu seemed to think about that for a short while, then decided to be clear about it. "I'll be honest with you, kiddo... I'm afraid we have no chance to outrun them." he admitted. "Our ships are too slow for us to go anywhere without them being ot on our trails. We've sent decoys to Side 3 in hopes of distracting the ZAFT and Giganos forces... but I'm afraid Le Crueset, the enemy commander, won't be fooled by such a simple trick. He's got too much experience for that."

"I see..." Kira said, almost as if breathing out in anxiety. That meant he was going to have to face Athrun very soon, since ZAFT was definitely not going to pass up a chance to deploy their newly-gotten Gundams. "I guess it can't be helped then... if they come, I'll go out in the Strike and face them. And I guess Kain, Tapp and Light will have to do the same anyway..."

"Yeah..." Mwu answered. "But, if that can be a scant consolation to you, kid, you won't be the only one on this ship to go out and fight. My Moebius Zero has just been repaired and can now be used to fight. So, I will definitely give you support... that will at least make things a little bit easier on us!"

"That's good to know..." Kuzzey answered. "Still, Lt. La Flaga... not to doubt your skills or anything, but one Moebius Zero will probably not be enough to stand against things like those Gundams..."

That only elicited a good-hearted laugh from the blond lieutenant. "Hehehee... don't worry about that, my friend... after all, I am known as "the Hawk of Endymion" and "the man who can make the impossible possible" for a reason! Don't worry, you can count on my help. And I'll definitelt show Le Crueset onething or two while I'm at it."

Kira couldn't help but notice how La Flaga's mood seemed to darken somewhat as soon as Le Crueset's name was spoken, and guessed (correctly, as it would later turn out) that there was some kind of personal grudge between the two men, but decided not to inquire further, for fear of being disrespectful. "Thank, Lt. La Flaga, we appreciate it a lot. By the way... think it would be possible for me to go see how Flay and the others are doing? I've been... kinda worried about them ever since they ended up on this ship, and I don't know how well they might be coping with the current situation..."

La Flaga smiled astutely, his sixth sense telling him something more than what Kira was actually telling him. "Hmm, I see... well, no problem with that. I can take over from here, and it's only right that you get some respite from all the fighting!"

"Well... thank you very much, Lt. La Flaga!" Kira said, allowing himself a small smile for probably the first time since that absurd war had started. While Sai looked a little less than happy about Kira's request, he did not object to it, and simply limited himself to cast a mysterious glance at his friend. "Well... then, everyone, how about we take a little break and go grab something to eat? I think we all need it..."

"You certainly won't get no as an answer from me, pal!" Tolle answered. "I was just dying to go get some grub... heck, even the stuff they serve on this ship will do, at this point!"

"But... Tolle!" Miriallia gently repriminded her boyfriend, playfully elbowing him in theside. "Oh, good heavens, what do I have to do with you..."

"Aw, come on, Mir... one can't make a joke, from time to time? Hehehee..." Tolle chuckled, a clear attempt at making light of the rather unpleasant situation. Luckily, he seemed to be succeeding, at least for the moment, and the Heliopolis teens shared a laugh as they began walking away from the hangar, giving Lt. La Flaga a salute as they did so. Mwu gave them a thumbs-up sign, secretly glad that they could at least enjoy some free time together before war reared its ugly head again.

"And it will be sooner than we might like it, I'm afraid..." he murmured to himself. "Sooner indeed..."

**oooooooooo**

The mood was likewise tense in the quarters that had been assigned to Flay Allster and her friends Misha and Jessica... and the three girls were at the moment reunited in Flay's quarters, trying to chase each other's anxiety away as time seemed to slow to a crawl. They still had trouble coming to terms with what had happened... only one day ago, they were normal teenagers going about their everyday lives... and next thing they know, they are forcibly stuffed upon a lifepod, together with several other Heliopolis citizens, and thrust head-first into a war they wanted nothing to do with. And now, justto make things worse, they were being hounded by those space monsters, and were risking their lives every moment. How could that happen to them, and in such a way...

However, Jessica soon understood that moping about what was happening would have done no good, and the best thing to do would be try to at least make themselves useful during the ship's jorney. "Well, girls, I dunno about you... but I'm not sitting here doing nothing! And here I though it wasn't possible to actually die of boredom... I'm going to the bridge and ask whether there is something I can do!"

"I don't know, Jessica... I'm not sure if we can really..." Misha tried to say, before someone knocked at their room's door. Wondering who could that be, Flay stood up from her bed and went to answer the door, remaining a little startled when she saw Kira appearing from behind it.

"Oh... Kira, is that you?" the redhead asked, with Misha and Jessica peeking out from behind her and looking at the purple-haired boy with curiosity, "What... what's the matter?"

Kira sensed that Flay was trying to put some distance between him and herself... and he guessed that the fact that he was a Coordinator was already known to the girl. And being the daughter of an high-standing Earth Union politician who made no secret of his dislike of Coordinators, it was quite obvious that the apple had not fallen far from the tree. "I and my friends were going to take a break... I just wanted to see if you and your friends were okay, Flay... and if you wanted to come with us as well." he answered. "I... I understand that it must be really hard for you to stay here, in this situation..."

Flay sighed in slight annoyance, using a dainty hand to smoothen her red hair. "You culd say that... I haven't had a chance of taking a shower ever since we got here... so, now where are we going? Hopefully, somewhere we can get a break..." he murmured, clearly in a rather sour mood.

"C'mon, Flay, you don't need to be stingy..." Misha murmured to herself, though Kira did not seem to be offended by the girl's somewhat caustic tone, and merely answered as best as he could.

"As of now, we're heading to the space station of Artemis, where we can hopefully resupply and get some help." he answered. "We... expect to meet with some opposition along the way... but don't worry, I and my friends onboard the Idaho make sure nothing happens to you or the other civilians. Trust me, nothing will happen to you."

Flay blinked, somewhat surprised to see a Coordinator trying to confort her... but before she could think of the right words to say to that, Kira cleared his throat and reiterated his earlier invitation. "Well, as I was saying... would you like to join me and my friends for a small break? We're going to the ship's cafeteria, and spend some time together."

"When you put this way... I guess it won't hurt to get out of this stuffy room for a while..." Flay accepted graciously, much to Misha and Jessica's relief. "Alright, then... Misha, Jessica... let's go, we could really use some time with the others..."

Jessica turned to Misha and grinned giving a thumbs-up. "Well... that's just what we needed! I was getting sick of staying here!"

"Here's hoping nothing happens while we are out of here..." Misha answered, unknowingly mirroring Kira's same thoughts. However, the young Coordinator was thankful that Flay had accepted his offer. At least, there was some silver lining in all that mess...

**oooooooooo**

A few hours later, on the Archangel's main bridge...

"Lieutenant Ramius! We're detecting hostiles on the radar!" the voice of an operator caught Murrue's attention, and she quickly turned to the one who had spoken. "The Vesalius and a Copernico-class cruiser is approaching us at high speed... only a few minutes before we're in range of its cannons! And we're detecting Mobile Suit coming out of the Vesalius... their heat signatures match those of the stolen G-Units, and one of the Metal Armors surrounding the Copernico has been identified as the Falguen!"

"The Falguen? As if we didn't have enough problems already..." Murrue exclaimed, recognizing the name of the Metal Armor belonging to the Giganos ace Meio Plato, one of the best pilots and field commanders Giganos Empire could count on. "Alright, how are our pilots? And is the Idaho sending out the Dragonars?"

"Strike Gundam and Lieutenant La Flaga's Moebius Zero are fully operational." Natarle answered. "The Idaho is slowing down as we speak and is getting ready to meet the enemy cruisers. The Dragonars will be sent out shortly."

"Alright." Murrue stated. "All hands, level 1 battle stations!"

**oooooooooo**

"Dammit! Those Giganos bastards got to us faster than we thought!" Kain cursed, as he and his friends, already in their piloting suits, rushed to the hangars to get inside the Dragonars. As they turned around, though, they found themselves face to face with an unexpected surprise: Linda and Rose were waiting for them in front of the hangar entrance, looking quite anxious. "Oh... Linda, Rose, you here! We... thought you were with the rest of the crew..."

"In fact, we have to return to our duties soon... but before we do, we had something to give to you..." Linda stated, taking a golden pendant off her neck, and handing it to a surprised Kain. "Here... please, take it. Consider it... a good luck charm of sorts!"

"And I've got something to give you myself..." Rose shyly stepped forward and handed Tapp what looked like a spherical red jewel, certainly not an expensive one, but something that surely must have had some value for the girl. "Here, Tapp... this is my gift to you, to thnk you for your kindness! Please, come back safely!"

After a moment of surprised silence, the Heliopolis teens looked at each other and smiled victoriously, suddenly feeling like they had the strength to take on the whole Giganos army! "Heh... heheheheee... don't you worry your pretty little heads, girls! You'll see, we'll kick those Giganos goons' asses and be back in a snap!" Kain thanked.

"Hey, Kain, you seem awfully confident all of a sudden!" Light joked. "What's that, you looked insidde of yourself and found a new reason to fight? Hehehee..."

"Hmph! I'm not bothered by your envious words!" Kain answered with a confident grin, before holding tightly Linda's pendant and smiling kindly to the blonde. "Anyway... thanks a lot, girls! We really appreciated that!"

"You'll see, we'll be back safe and sound before you even know it!" Tapp concluded. "You can bet on that! It won't be a few measly Mobile Armors to stop us, especially if Kira is fighting at our side!"

"Still... take care out there, guys, and good luck!" Linda concluded, before bowing respectfully to the boys. She and Rose walked away, turning around to wave at Kain and his friends, and the trio of boys stood there looking at them until they were out of sight.

"Heh... what do you know, we both got a good luck charm from the pretty ladies! What can I say, things seem to be looking up at last!" Kain said, carefully putting Linda's gift in a pocket of his flight suit as Tapp was doing the same with Rose's jewel.

Light, the only one of the trio who hadn't gotten anything, chuckled in good humour. "Heh... yay for you, lucky dogs!" he joked. "Me, I'm stuck with trusting my D-3's sensors to get out of this mess in one piece! Some people have all the luck, it seems!"

"What can we say, Light? Better luck next time!" Tapp answered, and the three of them shareda good-natured laugh, before the massive figure of Sergeant Ben Rooney appeared near the hangar, regarding the trio with confindence.

"Heh... you brats sure seem to be pumped up for this!" the huge military man said, getting to the boys and giving Kain a friendly slap on the back that still managed to knock the wind out of the young boy. "Good for ya, but you'd better make good on your bold words! You don't wanna leave the pretty ladies crying, now do ya? So, get out there, and kick some ass!"

"Owww..." Kain murmured. "Man, that hurt... don't worry, big man, we're definitely not gonna kick the bucket before you do!"

**oooooooooo**

Kira Yamato strapped himself to his seat in the Strike Gundam's cockpit and, after securing his helmet, he took a deep breath and got ready to fight, hoping against hope that he would not be facing Athrun in battle. There were only a few seconds before launching, and he checked to see if the Aile Striker pack had been attached before grabbing the controls and steeling himself for the battle. As he did so, one of his comm. screens lit up, showing Miriallia's face much to his surprise.

"_Kira! Kira, can you hear me?_" the girl asked. "_Order to launch will be given shortly, are you ready?_"

"Oh, Mir... yes, as ready as I'll ever be, all things considered..." he answered. "I didn't expect you to be at the communication console, though..."

"_Well, that was something I and the others decided just a little before..._" she answered. "_We though that, since the Archangel is understaffed, it would have been a good idea to lend a hand... and while Lt. Badgiruel was a little reluctant, in the end both she and Lt. Ramius allowed us to. Anyway, the Moebius Zero is on the catapult, Lt. La Flaga and the Dragonar units fom the Idaho will support you! Good luck, Kira!_"

"Thanks, Mir... I guess I'll need it!" Kira thanked, as a nother screen lit up, showing Mwu's face. "Lt. La Flaga... I'm ready!"

"Good to know, kid!" the Hawk of Endymion answered. "Alright, then... first off, before we head out into battle, I'd like you to answer my question. Are you afraid, right now?"

Kira hesitated for a small while before giving his answer. "To be honest, Lt. La Flaga... yes. Very afraid." he said. He was slightly taken off guard when Mwu nodded, as if in approval.

"That's good. Every sane person would be afraid when going out in a war zone." he explained. "Remember that this fear can be used to help you survive. Focus on making it out of this alive, and whatever happens, don't get too far from the Archangel. The ship will fire the Lohegrin cannons to provide a distraction while I sneak up from behind and take out the Vesalius. You and the D-Boys, along with our Mobile suit troops, will intercept the G-Units and the Giganos soldiers. Good luck, and try not to get shot down, okay?"

"D-Boys?" Kira blinked in confusion at the nickname Mwu had given to Kain, Tapp and Light, but shrugged that off and smiled gratefully. "Of course, sir. Thanks a lot."

"No problem!" he answered with a smart grin, before the roar of the Archangel's Lohengrin positron cannons signaled that it was time for him to go. "Alright, this is it... Mwu La Flaga, Moebis Zero, launching!"

"Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam... I'm heading out!"

**oooooooooo**

The enemy forces had just sent out their attack units... and standing in front of the formation was a majestic cobalt-blue Metal Armor with wing-like extentions on its back, looking more like a state-of-the-art Mobile Suit than the primitive-looking modified Metal Workers that composed the bulk of the Giganos army. Its golden highlights seemed to glow on their own, and it was holding a large assault rifle in its hands. That was the Falguen, an advanced one-of-a-kind Metal Armor that had been assigned to the Giganos ace, Meio Plato... and that, combined with his ruthlessness and piloting skill, had earned him the nickname of "Blue Hawk of Giganos". Following the Falguen were three more Metal Armors, their hulls a lighter shade of azure but similarly armed, each of them piloted by a member of the Imperial Guard's Practice Team, composed of Ensigns Karl, Werner and Dan. While they obviously weren't as tough as the Falguen was, they still looked a lot more dangerous than your average Metal Armor.

"Alright, Gelf squadron... we're approaching the Idaho and the Archangel. We'll concentrate on the D-Units and try to take them back in the best condition possible." Meio instructed the trio of ensigns. "Take extreme care. While the pilots might be inexperienced, the Dragonars' power more than makes up for it."

"Roger that, Captain Plato!" Werner answered. "But I'm sure we'll have no problems! These Terran worms are no match for the Giganos Imperial Guard!"

"Here they come! I was itching to get my hands on them!" Dan exclaimed, finally seeing the Dragonar units on his radar. "Let's go, guys! I want to put those Terrans in their place!"

"They'll regret crossing us!" Karl concluded, as the joint force from both Archangel and Idaho approached. However, the three Imperial Guard rookies were taken off guard when a large beam of fiery red antimatter erupted from the Archangel's "legs" and tore through the Giganos / ZAFT ranks, forcing them to hastily disperse in order not to get blown to smithreens! "Aaargh! Damn Terrans... so they do have a few tricks up their sleeves, after all!"

A little farther away, Athrun was leading the other three stolen Gundams, along with Shiho's CGUE Deep Arms, away from the firing range of the Archangel and towards the approaching enemy. Several Earth Union Mobile Suits, mostly GMs and Methuss units, fired at the G-Units, but their attacks bounced off the new-generation Gundams' Phase Shift Armor, leaving them unarmed.

"Annoying Naturals!" Yzak exclaimed. "Get out of the way!"

The Duel Gundam turned to the swarm of opponents and pointed its beam rifle at them, firing an high-energy grenade from a launcher fitted underneath the barrel. An explosion rocked the ranks of the Earth Union forces a split second later, destroying several units and forcing the others to scatter in all directions. A group of GMs tried to get closer and engage the ZAFT redcoats in hand-to-hand combat, but none of them managed to make much progress. Dearka's Buster Gundam cut down a lot of them with well-aimed blasts from its gun launcher, while Nicol's Blitz Gundam picked off all remaining stragglers with the Trikeros lancer darts mounted on its forearm. Another group was trying to approach from theside, but they didn't have better luck: Miguel's customized GINN and Shiho's CGUE Deep Arms were already intercepting them... and the female redcoat, in particular, was showing that she hadn't gotten that far just because of her good looks: her new Mobile Suit, an heavy-looking model with a blue chassis and a pair of thermal energy cannons mounted on its shoulders, was spreading lasers in all direction, like a beautiful but deadly flower, destroying any Earth Union robot it caught. Even Yzak, who seemed to be dismissive of Shiho's skills after her botched attempt to take over the Strike at Heliopolis, was reconsidering his position.

"Well, I have to give her that much... that girl is no pushover." he stated to himself.

Athrun, in the meanwhile, was easily making his way through the Earth Union forces, only to be stopped when coming face to face with the Strike Gundam. The blue-haired ace swallowed hard, steeling himself for what he had to do, and opened a comm. channel with the white Gundam. His last few hopes that Kira was not going to be his opponent were dashed when hesaw his friend's face pop up on his comm screen, a somber and serious look in his amethyst eyes.

"Athrun..." Kira murmured.

The Strike and the Aegis faced each other, drawing their beam sabers. "Kira... is that really you?" Athrun asked, as if to confirm his worst suspicions. "Please, Kira, listen to me... we do not have to fight! Come with me... you are a Coordinator as well, aren't you?"

"I don't want to fight you either!" Kira exclaimed. "But I can't abandon my friends... they're onboard the Archangel, and right now, I am the only one who can pilot this machine! If I don't fight... they will die! I don't care if they're Naturals or not! And besides which... why are you piloting that Gundam? I thought you hated fighting..."

"I still do..." Athrun answered sadly. "But... I have to do my duty for my country... and I need to do this for my mom, who lost her life in the Bloody Valentine..."

Kira could feel his friend's pain through his trembling voice, and felt a pang of sadness tear at his heart... but the two Gundam still stood on guard, ready to fight but unwilling to make the first move, while the other Gundams, Miguel's orange-colored GINN and Shiho's CGUE Deep Arms were making their way through the enemy forces...

A mixed group of Giganos Metal Armors and ZAFT Mobile Suits, for the most part GINNs, tried to take Kira off guard while he was locked in a tense swordfight wth his friend... but luckily, the enemies in the first lines were mowed down by a burst of machine gun fire from the advancing Dragonars, whose pilots proceeded to greet Kira before moving to cover him from further attacks.

"Hey, Kira! Looks like we come just in time to pull your ass out of the fire, huh?" Kain greeted him. "Try not to get distracted, okay? You take care of that red Gundam, we'll make sure the other goons don't get to you!"

"Thanks, guys..." Kira thanked the Dragonar pilots before turning his attention back to Athrun. "Did you see them, Athrun? The ones piloting the Dragonars right now were friends of mine, and they were all Naturals. I... I cannot abandon them right now... Please, Athrun, don't force me to choose between you or them!"

Athrun grit his teeth. "I... I'm sorry, Kira, but I have my orders." he retorted. "If you are not going to come willingly, I'll have to force you to come!"

The Strike and the aegis lunged towards each other, their beam sabers meeting each other in mid-swing, caussing a spectacular display of light...

**oooooooooo**

"Don't let them get close to the Idaho, guys!" Kain exclaimed at the top of his lungs, as the Dragonars began attacking the Giganos and ZAFT troops. "Shoot them all down!". The D-1's machine gun spewed a torrent of bullets at the enemy, destroying a couple of Draus that had gotten too cllose. The frail Metal-Worker-turned-weapons were no match for the Dragonar's advanced technology, and were quickly blown away.

"You'll get no argument from me... but we need to get close to their flagship if we are to defeat these guys!" Tapp retorted. His D-2's shoulder cannons fired a lethally precise shot, hitting a GINN that had gotten in the way. The Mobile Suit exploded, but several others made their way towards the Dragonars... among which the three Gelf units piloted by Giganos' Practice squad! This time, Kain and his friends were dealing with much more formidable opponents...

"Here they are, guys! I can already feel their fear!" Karl exclaimed as he led the charge against the Dragonars. With bloodthirsty enthusiasm, the three young ensigns swept down upon Kain and his friends... and Kain was barely able to lift his D-1's shield and block a vicious punch! Gritting his teeth, the young Natural was thrown back by the sheer force of the blow, and raised one of his beam swords, getting back in a guaard pose.

"Careful, guys! These three aren't your cookie-cutter grunts!" Light warned from the D-3's cockpit, as the three Gelfs got in front of the Dragonars, boldly challenging them.

Dan chuckled arrogantly. "Hehehee... at least you Terrans are smart enough to understand that you're out of your league here!" he stated. "That's quite correct, in fact we're three elite pilots from the Giganos Imperial Guard, the best of the best our country ever produced! Now, we will take you apart, and bring the Dragonars back home! They'll surely reward us with a Selenium Cross!"

"Is that so?" Kain exclaimed. "Not so fast, pal! You'll have to defeat us first!"

Werner smirked. "It shall be easy, fools!" he said, before unleashing an hail of bullets from his Gelf's machine gun, aiming at the D-3. Luckily, Light was not caught off guard, and he managed to dodge sideways, much to the Giganos soldier's frustration. Then, the D-3 answered with a barrage of micro-missiles, barely missing his mark and hitting some of the debris floating around.

Dan charged Tapp head-on, beginning a grapple with the dark-colored Dragonar unit, which left Kain to handle Karl and his customized Gelf in a tense swordfight. Thinking he had the upper hand already, Karl stepped forward and tried an overhead slash, but he was disappointed when Kain lifted his bean sword and blocked his attack, before slamming his Gelf in the chest with the D-1's shield.

"Don't think you've got me beat just because you can throw a fancy title at me, blowhard!" Kain warned the arrogant Giganos elite, before shoving him away with a mighty push. Karl stumbled and swore under his breath, but the annoyance quickly overrode his shock, and he attacked again, his blade drawing a jagged line on Kain's shield. Dan's Gelf had managed to score a strong punch upon Tapp's D-2, while the D-3 and Werner's unit seemed to be playing a dangerous game of hide-and-shoot among the debris. The battle had gotten a lot more heated, and the Dragonar pilots were already being pushed to their limits...

"That's... ugh... you were right, Light, these guys are really tough!" Tapp exclaimed, trying to shake off the Gelf bearing down on him. "If only we could get some help..."

"We'll have to do it ourselves, pal!" Light shouted back, finally getting a hit in as his D-3 dashed in and kicked Werner's Gelf away. "Kira is locked in battle with the Aegis Gundam, and Lt. La Flaga is trying to get the enemy flagship! Until he strikes, we'll have to rely on ourselves!"

"Heh... you're not bad at all... for you Terrans' low standards, that is!" Werner grunted. "But don't get cocky! It's just a matter of time before we get you!"

"Wanna bet? I should remind you that you haven't hit me yet!" Light challenged back, which caused the impulsive Giganos soldier to charge head-on, the D-3 getting ready to dodge at the last moment...

**oooooooooo**

"What's going on there?" Shiho asked, as she put down a Methuss with her beam saber. "Athrun is taking far too long dealing with the Strike... I thought he'd be done with it sooner!"

"That only means the pilot is better than we thought..." Nicol said, as he and Dearka's Buster Gundam reunited near the girl's CGUE Deep Arms. "And we still haven't been able to get a good shoton the legged ship..."

"I can try shooting from here!" Dearka said, getting his gun launcher ready. "I just need a little more room to aim... and I can get the legged ship with a shot! It might be protected by a Laminate Armor, but even it will take serious damage if I can land a hit!"

"Alright, Dearka!" Yzak exclaimed. "Shiho, Nicol, cover him! We need to hold off the enemy until Dearka can get a good shot!"

"Roger that!" Nicol and Shiho answered, getting close enough to the Buster so that Dearka would be covered while he aimed, and at the same time not be hindered. The dark-skinned young man thanked his teammates with a slight grin and raised his gun launcher, taking a few moments to aim at the Archangel's Lohengrin cannons... and then, he unleashed a beam of solid yellow light that crossed the whole battlefield, violently impacting upon the Archangel's left side, and shaking the whole battleship, its Laminate Armor only partially managing to absorb the hit!

"Great! I got it!" Dearka said, grinning and clenching a fist in front of him. "That will light some fire under their asses!"

**oooooooooo**

Murrue let out an alarmed cry as she was almost tossed out of her chair, only barely managing to get an handhold in time. "Agh... Archangel has taken a hit! Damage report!"

"One of the Lohengrin is offline, Captain!" Neumann answered. "Blocks 3 and 4 have taken severe damage! We won't be able to hold out much longer, if this keeps up!"

"Okay... retreat a little and try to support our units with Sledgehammer fire!" Natarle ordered, straightening her uniform a little. "Call for friendlies to retreat back to the Archangel for support!"

"We'll do what we can..." Neumann answered, as the bridge crew frantically tried to assess damage and respond to attack...

**oooooooooo**

"The Archangel was hit?" Kain exclaimed, turning around a little to see what had happened. Thinking his opponent distracted, Karl grinned and raised his Gelf's sword, intending to bury it in the D-1's cockpit.

"Where are you looking, brain-dead Terran? You should get distracted when fighting me!" he exclaimed, bringing his sword down... only to find the D-1 rushing furiously at him, and interrupting him mid-swing with a devastating shoulder ram! Karl screamed in surprise and anger, and his Gelf relinquished its hold on its weapon, before the D-1 began pummelling the living daylights out of it with its bare hands!

"I've had quite enough of you Giganos jerks!" Kain exclaimed, as he forced the Gelf to step backwards, each blow more powerful than the previous one. Furious, surprised and ashamed at being held back by an opponent he thought inferior, Karl tried to call for backup... but his companions were locked in combat with the other two Dragonars, and they weren't exactly dominating the fight. Tapp had finally managed to get some distance from Dan's Gelf, hitting its right arm and leg with the D-2's machine guns... and Light's D-3 was wearing down Werner with hit-and-run attacks.

"You bunch of cowards!" Werner exclaimed as another of his attacks was folied by the D-3's agility. "Just stand still and fight fairly, will you?"

Light did not resist the temptation to taunt his opponent a little more. "Well, what's the matter, Mr. Elite? Is a bunch of "dirty Terrans" too much for you?" he mocked, making the Giganos' racial slur for Earthlings backfire on his opponent. "War is war, my friend... whatever it takes to survive!"

"Sorry about not meeting your standards, pal, but you now how us "Terrans" are!" Tapp joined his friend. The three Gelfs were forced to retreat slightly, and as the Dragonars got in a fight pose in front o them, the Giganos soldiers tried to reorganize themselves... only to be interrupted by a well-known voice coming from behind them!

"That will do. Leave these ones to me." Captain Meio Plato's confident voice blared from the Gelfs' speakers, startling the three ensigns to no end! As the Dragonar pilots looked on in confusion, the Gelfs parted slightly, offering their opponent the awesome sight of Meio's glorious Metal Armor! Inside the cockpit, Meio was staring down the Dragonars with an unreadable, but definitely not pleased, expresion on his face.

"Huh? And now... who's this buffoon?" Kain asked to no-one in particular.

"Cap... Captain Meio Plato!" Karl stammered, his bravado quickly turning to meekness. "We... we were about to get the upper hand on these Terrans! We... don't know how they could suddenly get the jump on us, and..."

"I said, that will do." Meio repeated. "We'll talk about this later. You rejoin the battle and try to support our allies."

The three Imperial Guard members quickly swallowed any objection they might have had. "Er... yes! Yes, Captain Plato, sir!" Karl answered for everyone, before the Gelfs drifted away, back towards the Copernico-class cruiser. Meio nodded, and turned his attention to the Dragonars, a beam sword already in his Falguen's hands.

"How interesting. Three of the best Metal Armors Giganos ever produced, handled by a bunch of schoolboys. And yet, you managed to hold your own until now." Meio commented. "Worthy of praise... but I'm afraid your luck ends here."

"Hmph... so, you're the Giganos boss, aren't you?" Kain challenged him, drawing his beam sword as well. "Tapp, Light! Leave this sucker to me... you go take down the Giganos flagship!"

"Alright... you be careful okay?" Tapp said, as he and Light began speeding towards the Copernico. Meio, however, seemed to have other plans in mind.

"I don't think I ever said you could get away." he stated, as he began aiming a bunch of missiles from the Falguen's wings. Before he could fire, though, the D-1 tackled his Falguen, spoiling his chance and dragging him away for a moment, before the Giganos ace was able to shrug him away and kick the D-1 in the chest, staggering it.

"Ugh... and I don't think I ever said I would let you mess with my friends, Giganos scum!" Kain exclaimed, as he once again approached the Falguen in order to keep Meio busy in hand-to-hand combat. Understanding his opponent's plan, Meio frowned slightly and called to the Practice Team on his comm. channels.

"Karl, Werner, Dan... the orders have changed! Move to intercept the D-2 and the D-3, while I deal with this one. Quick, before they get too close to the Copernico!" he ordered, then quickly deactivated the channel and faced down Kain. "So you want to do this the hard way, huh? Fine by me. Let me show you what it means to face a true Giganos soldier."

With a warlike yell, Kain charged towards the Falguen... but the Giganos ace saw through such a straightforward and thoughtless attempt, and sidestepped the slash with almost contemptuous ease, before countering with a devastating punch that knocked the Dragonar-1 off balance and threw it a good distance away. Kain swore through grit teeth and tried to regain his robot's footing, but Meio was not about to let him recover, and let loose with a barrage of missiles from the Falguen's wings. The younger pilot widened his eyes in horrified surprise and raised his shield in order to block the worst of the attack, but there was not much he could do, and the volley struck with the strength of a battering ram, further damaging the Dragonar-1 and short-circuiting some systems in the left arm.

"Aaaargh!" Kain yelled. "D-damn you... I'm not done it! Take this!"

Discarding the almost-wrecked shield, Kain grabbed his D-1's machine gun and tried to shoot... but, once again, the difference in skill between him and Meio was more than evident. The Falguen dodged the attack, and while Kain was busy trying to adjust his aiming, he closed in and kicked the Dragonar-1 in the chest, before letting loose with a vicious overhead slash with his beam sword. The laser blade tore a nasty-looking gash in the Dragonar-1's chest armor, and Kain was once again thrown around in his cockpit, his screens lighting it up in dangerous red colours! The boy grunted in pain and the g-forces pressed his body against the seat... and while his vision was beginning to get clouded, he was able to see the Falguen raise its sword, ready to put an end to the battle.

"Your courage is commendable." Meio stated. "Unfortunately, it's also all you have. Relinquish that Dragonar, and I will spare your life."

"Ugh... you can kiss my ass!" Kain grunted through the pain, desperately trying to find the strength to go on fighting. His hand clenched around Linda's pendant, and he furrowed his brow, getting ready for another attack.

Inside the Falguen's cockpit, Meio frowned as well. "Such spirit and such stupidity. Fine then. I gave you one last chance, but you threw it away." The Falguen's beam sword began descending in a powerful arc, ready to separate the Dragonar-1's head from the body...

And Kain, with a furious surge of adrenaline, acted with blinding swiftness, pulling out one of his beam sabers and closing in on the Falguen while the latter's sword was already descending! Caught off guard, Meio did not have time to dodge, and Kain's beam sword caught the blue Metal Armor in the side, blowing off a chunk of armor and causing a shower of electrical sparks!

Meio widened his eyes and grunted as he stopped the attack and backed away, while the D-1 quickly recovered and stood on guard once again! The Giganos captain could scarcely believe it... he could barely remember the last time his Falguen had taken damage, and now this had to happen...

"Heh... hehehee... so you're not invincible after all, blue boy!" Kain mocked him as he tried to regain his breath.

However, Meio quickly recovered from his surprise and smiled slightly. "That's what I get for being overconfident." he calmly stated. "That Dragonar unit of yours is really something else. I knew the D-Units were superior to pretty much any other Metal Armor Giganos Empire ever fielded, but this truly caught me off guard."

"And there's more where that came from!" Kain exclaimed as he charged again, joining his two beam swords in a pole-like weapon. "Bring it on!"

Meio brought up his sword again, easily blocking the attack. "Don't get too cocky, Terran. I admit I underestimated you, but I won't be so foolish as to make that mistake again." he stated, as the two blades met in a flash of electrical sparks...

**oooooooooo**

Mwu La Flaga's Moebius Zero was deftly weaving its way among a group of Giganos and ZAFT units, using its linear guns to shoot down any enemy approaching him. Several units were trying to stop him, none of them successful, as the Mobile Armor tried to approach the Vesalius, hiding behind shrapnel and debris, and hoping that he had managed to slip through the enemy's radars. He knew that Le Crueset's spacial awareness would not allow him to go unnoticed for long as soon as he got any closer to the enemy flagship, but at least he was hoping that the element of surprise would be on his side. Luckily, none of the enemy's G-Weapons seemed to be trailing him...

The same, sadly, couldn't be said of an orange GINN, belonging to ZAFT ace Miguel "The Magic Bullet of Dusk" Aiman, who was not targetting him with several blasts from his Ion Gun. Mwu bit back a curse and deftly dodged the incoming destructive beam, before sending out his gunbarrels to hold off his pursuer.

"Afraid I can't be keeping you company here, pal!" Mwu exclaimed, noting with dismay that this would man he had lost his cover. "But I have a bone to pick with your commander, and I can't exactly stay here long!". He cast a quick glance at his radar, and at the Vesalius. It was far enough, but if he was quick enough, he could still reach it...

Miguel barely dodged a gunbarrel shot, before trying to shoot the Moebius Zero with his machine gun. "I'm not letting you through here, Hawk of Endymion!" he exclaimed, trying to keep up with the agile fighter.

"Oh, well... in that case, too bad! I guess I'm already through..." Mwu retorted. He had just gotten close enough to the Vesalius to attempt an attack... and if luck was on his side, he could attack before Rau and the Vesalius crew could react. Concentrating as hard as he could, Mwu sent his gunbarrels flying towards the enemy flagship...

And at the same time, a familiar jolt shook Rau Le Crueset for a split second, and the masked commander quickly rose from his chair. "_It's him..._" he thought to himself, before giving an hasty order in an attempt to avoid the incoming attack. "Boost engines! Lower bow, pitch angle 60, quick!"

For a second, the other crewmembers were caught off guard... until one of them noted that the Moebius Zero had gotten close enough to attack, faster than they had expected! "We're under attack!" an operator exclaimed. "Take evasive maneuvers!"

But it was too late, as Mwu fired his linear gun and all his gunbarrels at the same time, scoring a solid hit on the Vesalius and blasting several sections of its hull before turning around and speeding back to the Archangel, leaving the ZAFT commanders - especially Le Crueset - to fume impotently.

"Ugh... damage report!" Ades exclaimed, standing up from where he had fallen.

The techs quickly did an assessment of the damage. "We've taken severe damage from that attack, sir..." one of them spoke up. "The hangars are damaged, and several engines are powering down."

"I see..." Ades bitterly murmured as he looked to Le Crueset. "Sir?"

"We'll retreat. Issue the order to our units and our allies." Rau simply said. Annoyed as he was at this unexpected reversal of fortune, one of the reasons why Rau had come as far as he had was the fact that he knew when to cut his losses. However, he cast one last, dark thought at Mwu La Flaga.

"_You have defeated me, Mwu... for now. But rest assured you haven't seen the last of me._"

**oooooooooo**

Meanwhile, Tapp and Light weren't happy campers themselves... as they were busy trying to approach the Copernico without getting shot down by the many Giganos and ZAFT units around them, and the Practice Team hot on their trail! Light almost swore when a machine gun volley passed dangerously close to his D-3, and he turned in the direction of the shots just in time to see that the enemies had gotten closer already!

"Cowards! Too afraid to face us directly?" Dan exclaimed.

"Stay here and fight, if you've got the balls, Terrans!" Werner retorted... and, much to his chagrin, Tapp and Light ignored them and kept speeding towards the Copernico.

Karl snorted. "Hmph... just as expected from those lower lifeforms..." he muttered. "Let's chase them down, guys! They must not escape!"

"Those guys are harder to shake than door-to-door salesmen!" Light commented, as the bullets from the Practice Team came closer and closer. Frantically trying to keep up the pace, he punched a few commands into his onboard computer, bringing up a representation of the Copernico-class cruisers, and sent it to Tapp's own computer. "Tapp, I'm going to try hold off these guys! It's up to you to take out the Copernico! I'm now sending you the ship's scheme, along with a notification of its main weak point! Make good use of it, and strike true, or we're done for!"

"No worries, Light, I won't fail!" Tapp answered, gritting his teeth in determination. "You, try not to get shot down! We need to make it back to the Idaho together, and with Kira along!"

"Got it!" Light answered, stopping in mid-flight in order to send some missiles at the Practice Team, successfully throwing them off long enough for Tapp to approach the cylinder-shaped Giganos cruiser, still sending out a few Draus and Gebayes. Taking a quick look at the image Light had sent to him, the boy of color took aim, charging his D-2's shoulder cannons, and hoping his aim was true...

...and let loose with two massive beams of energy!

"C'mon, hit, hit, hit!" he murmured to himself, cold sweat pouring down his temples...

...

The D-2's beams hit the Copernico-class battleship straight in the weak point Light had pointed out, causing a huge explosion near the main engine... which subsequently set off a chain reaction that resulted in the massive ship blowing up like some sort of gigantic fireworks, the debris from its hull striking the closest Metal Armors and fratriciding them! Tapp let out a victorious yell as the Giganos and ZAFT forces were thrown in disarray... and the Practice Team stopped cold, loking in shock at the massive explosion!

"What?" Karl exclaimed. "I can't believe it... that guy blew up the Copernico!"

Werner slammed his fist on the console. "Damn Terrans! It's all luck! Luck of the draw, I say!" he roared, before his screen brought up the retreat order coming from the Vesalius. "Damn... just great! Commander Rau Le Crueset has issued the retreat order... we need to scram as fast as we can!"

"For this once, we're letting you go, Terrans... but rest assured that this humiliation will be washed away in your blood!" Dan grunted, as the Practice Team quickly fled, leaving Tapp and Light to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well... that's what I call a narrow escape, Tapp!" Light said with a relieved smile. "And you did a great job taking down that ship! Captain La Flaga's plan worked like a charm!"

"Yeah... and speaking of charms..." Tapp answered, holding Rose's jewel in his hand as he smiled. "I guess we really have to thank Rose and Linda for their gifts! They really helped us in this battle!"

Light laughe heartily. "Well, you and Kain will have all the time in the world when we get back! Now, the enemy's retreating! Let's get our butts back on the Idaho!"

**oooooooooo**

The D-1's beam sword and the Falguen's laser blade clashed again, the two mighty Metal Armors pushing against each other for a while before separating... but not before the D-1 took a crushing kick from the blue robot, causing it to lose its balance for a second. Kain quickly regained his bearings and stood on guard, ready to handle another attack... but this time, the fight was interrupted as the Falguen put its sword away and began backing down.

"What?" Kain asked. "Hey, you! Where are you going? Our fight isn't over yet!"

"_I think it is. I've been given the order to retreat_." Meio answered dispassionately. "_But make no mistake, this is just a temporary respite for you. I have to admit, you handled yourself well for a beginner. Given enough time, you will become a serious threat to us._"

"Hold on a second there!" Kain demanded. "At least give me your name! I don't like speaking with a faceless guy!"

For a moment, the Giganos ace seemed to hesitate. Then, he nodded to himself and, out of respect for Kain's unexpected skill, he decided he might as well answer. "_You want my name? Fine... I am Captain Meio Plato of the Giganos Imperial Guard. They also call me "The Blue Hawk of Giganos". Savor your moment of glory while you can. For it shall be short-lived indeed._"

"Meio Plato, huh?" Kain answered. "My name is Kain Wakaba, 16 years old, your average academy student from Heliopolis! And don't forget it!"

The young boy narrowed his eyes as the Falguen sped away, joining the remaining ZAFT and Giganos units around the retreating Vesalius. Then, he sighed and, much to his relief, he saw the other Dragonar units flying back towards him. The battle had been hard... but at least, they seemed to be alright!

"Hey, Tapp! Light! I see you're still in one piece, you scoundrels!" he greeted them jokingly. "Nice job out there... now, let's go back to the Idaho!"

**oooooooooo**

"Damn... we have to retreat right now?" Dearka asked incredulously. "And here I had even managed to score some good hits on the legged ship..."

Nicol shook his head. "We have no choice... the Vesalius has been severely damaged, and the Copernico was destroyed. We need to retreat, we're in no condition to take the Archangel and the Idaho."

"Much as I hate to admit it... you're right." Yzak muttered. "But rest assured that nothing's gonna stop us next time... And what the hell is Athrun doing? Is he still wasting his time on that damn Strike?"

"It appears so..." Shiho sighed as her CGUE Deep Arms began retreating. The Strike Gundam and the Aegis Gundam had been locked in combat for as long as the battle had started, though most of it consisted of Kira and Athrun trying to get through to one another, and never once had they used a potentially lethal attack...

Finally, as he saw that the other members of the Le Crueset team were retreating, Athrun had no choice but to break it off, much to his displeasure. "It appears that we have to get away from here..." the blue-haired young man sighed. "Kira... I hope you'll reconsider your decision, next time we meet."

"I could say the same about you, Athrun..." Kira murmured sadly, as he watched his best friend speed off into the distance. He sighed dejectedly and slumped in his seat, feeling suddenly exhausted... he had survived the battle, and that was a good thing... but how many times would he have to climb in that cockpit again, and how many times would he have to face Athrun? Until one of them perished? The thought was so horrifying to him that Kira tried to chase it away from his mind, despite knowing that it was a very real possibility...

"_Kira! Hey, Kira, you hear us?_" Kain's crisp voice blared from the speakers, and Kira was jolted out of his funk. "_Thank heavens you're still in one piece, pal! We did it! We sent those guys packing! Are you alright?_"

"Kain... Tapp, Light!" Kira perked up a little, glad that his friends were still all safe. "Yes... yes, I'm okay! I... I'm going back to the Archangel soon, but first... I want to know if you guys are still alright!"

"_Hahahaaa! Don't worry, we don't die so easily!_" Tapp laughed. "_We showed those pinkboys what we're made of! And I personally shot down that big ship of theirs... thanks to Light's help, of course!_"

"_It was a team effort, and we did it!_" Light concluded. "_And you did a good job with that red Gundam as well, Kira! We couldn't have done it without your help!_"

Kira smiled slightly to himself. At least, the fact that he had helped his other friends survive was of consolation to him...

**oooooooooo**

Some time later, in the Idaho's hangars...

"Tapp! Everyone, you're safe!" Rose Patterson exclaimed, glomping Tapp as the boy of color stepped down from his D-2's cockpit. She, Linda an Sgt. Rooney had personally come to the hangars to greet the heroes who had saved the day, and celebrations were in order!

"Hey, Rose! Glad to see you're in high spirits!" Tapp exclaimed, hugging her back. "Hehehee... yeah, modesty aside, we did a nice job out there! Thanks for your good luck charms, girls! They really worked... like a charm, I guess you could say!"

"Lame puns aside... yeah, they were really helpful! Thanks a lot, Linda!" Kain thanked the blonde nurse as he showed her the pendant she had given to him earlier. "I'm not sure I could have pulled it off otherwise, that guy I faced was really tough!"

"I'm glad to have been of help, Kain..." Linda said, smiling gently to him.

"Heh... I'll say you were in hot water, kids... the one you were facing was Meio Plato himself, one of the best pilots and commanders Giganos can count on!" Sgt. Ben Rooney explained. "That guy is no joke, and when he works together with Rau Le Crueset... well, let me just say that's almost a death sentence!"

"We did come too close for confort, but... huh?" Light started to say, before noticing that Linda's expression, at the mention of Captain Meio Plato, had gone from serene to suddenly shocked and fearful... which lasted for just a second, before she was back to her normal self. "Hey, Linda, are you alright?"

"Of... of course I am!" she hastily answered... too hastily for Light to actually believe it was nothing. "It's just that... well... I was kinda surprised that you faced a Giganos ace right now, that's all... I'm... I'm alright, really!"

"If you say so..." Rose answered naively, before clapping her hands together. "In any case, guys... let's get a small break, shall we? We need to celebrate the heroes who saved us!"

"With pleasure!" Kain answered... though, in a small corner of his mind, he was wondering about Linda's sudden shocked reaction as well...

**oooooooooo**

Kira felt exhausted as he got out of the Strike Gundam's cockpit, his confrontation with Athrun still fresh in his mind, along with the eerie knowledge that another fight with his best friend was not long in coming. So long had gone by since he had last seen Athrun, when the war between Earth and the colonies was already brewing... and now that they were face to face again, it was in the worst possible way Kira could imagine. He couldn't stand it...

So immersed Kira was in his gloomy reverie that he was surprised when he saw his friends from Heliopolis gathered in the hangar to greet him and Lt. La Flaga as they came down from their respective machines, thanking them profusely for having saved the Archangel once again!

"Kira! You were great out there!" Tolle exclaimed, giving his friend a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Kira... Lt. La Flaga... you saved us all!" Miriallia said.

Similarly, Sai, Kuzzey, Misha and Jessica thanked Kira and Mwu for their efforts... and Mwu himself, clearly impressed with Kira's showing, reached the young boy and gave him a friendly pat on his shoulder. "Hey, kid... you did a great job out there! I couldn't have taken down their flagship if you hadn't given them a distraction... so, I have to thank you as well! Be proud of your efforts!"

"Ah... er... thanks, Lt. La Flaga... I guess..." Kira said, looking around to see if Flay was present as well. He was relieved when he saw the red-haired girl standing in the crowd of his friends, looking somewhat sullen... and he was evenmore surprised when she walked up to him and quietly bowed her head as a sign of gratitude.

"I... I have to thank you as well, Kira Yamato..." she said, still keeping some distance from the Coordinator but seemingly allowing for more cordiality. "If it wasn't for you, well... I and my friends here could have died... so..."

Hearing the redhead speak with him that way lifted Kira's spirits somewhat, and he smiled to her. "You... you're welcome, Flay... I... I just hope I can keep doing that for as long as we all need..." he said, feeling a little more confident that he could get through to Athrun as well...

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Well'that's about it! This chapter was longer than expected, because I threw in so many battles... but I think it's still good enough! So, Kira and the Dragonar boys got a taste of the enemy aces, though this time they get away without too much damage. Here's hoping it actually lasts...**

**I was also hoping to have this chapter published earlier, but personal problems kept me from finishing it. I hope you'll understand... and I wish you good luck until next time, where we'll see a few more series making their entrance in this story!**

**See you soon!**


	9. This Is Not An Anime!

**SUPER ROBOT WARS S ZERO**

**oooooooooo**

**Hello, everyone! I'm back! How are you all doing? As I begin typing down this new chapter of my story, we're halfway through November, and readers in the U.S. have already celebrated Thanksgiving Day. Gee, and here it seems to me like it's yesterday, when I started typing down this story...**

**In the last chapter, there was a pitched space battle between the joint forces of the Archangel and the Idaho, and the double menace of Giganos Empire and ZAFT, led respectively by Captain Meio Plato and Commander Rau Le Crueset... but a timely intervention from the Dragonar Team, Kira and Mwu La Flaga managed to turn the tide of the battle in favor of our bold heroes! Of course, they've earned themselves at least some temporary respite, which they will have to make use of in order to be able to reach a sanctuary and prepare themselves for the next attack! Oh, and of course, we also had a rather spectacular battle involving the Astray Red and Blue Frames against a rather huge army sent by the Earth Union to take out Lowe and Gai! Of course, things didn't exactly go the way they wanted, and Lowe managed to abscond with a brand new Gundam... just like our favourite mercenary Gai Murakumo! They will play their own role, later on in the story... but for now, we're off to another section of the Solar System, and more exactly, to one of the first colonies ever estabilished!**

**Neo Zeon, as many of you have plainly seen, has been rather absent from its allies' operations against Heliopolis and the Archangel and Idaho crew. That's because they were embroiled themselves in their own struggles and power plays... one of which involves getting the citizens of the most faraway colonies on their side. A Neo Zeon convoy, led by one of Haman Kahn's most trusted commanders, is on its way to the colony named Shangri-La, where a young Newtype and his bunch of friends are soon going to find their lives turned upside-down...**

**And Neo Zeon is not the only one who's coming to Shangri-La. The Argama, the AEUG's flagship during the war against the Titans, is limping into port, having lost much of its firepower and being pursued by enemies. Will a chance encounter give good ol' Captain Bright and his crew a fighting chance against the looming menace? Well, that remain to be seen...**

**In case you haven't guessed it yet... yes, this chapter marks the entrance of Gundam ZZ, one of my favorite Gundam shows, in the mix! So... leave aside the dark, serious atmosphere of Gundam SEED, and let's have a stroll in a more forgiving Gundam story! Young Judau Ashta and his gang are ready to take us in a brand new adventure!**

**Get ready to rock!**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 9 - This Is Not An Anime!**

A lone battleship was sailing through the debris-infected void of the farmost parts of the Earth Union controlled area, taking extreme care not to bump into the many floating obstacles scattered through the open space. The conditions of the ship weren't very good: several parts of the outer chassis were damaged, and it was clear that the engines were not at full power, as a few propellers were out of order. As the battleship slowly advanced through the debris field, in search of a safe place where to get repairs, it seemed to be slowly falling apart from the damage it had taken. It would have been hard, to any casual onlooker, to guess that this ship was actually the famous Argama, the battleship whose intervention had been vital in turning the tide of the previous war against the Titans. Back then, the Argamhad spearhead the rebellion against those cruel oppressors... but now, it only existed as a shadow of its former glorious self.

The crew was similarily reduced to a skeleton, barely enough to keep the ship running. At the commander's seat, Captain Bright Noa sighed wearily, running through a few documents reporting the status of the ship, and the moves of the hostile factions that had been harassing them for quite some time now. The attack on Heliopolis had distracted ZAFT and Giganos Empire from the Argama... but these two factions' ally, Neo Zeon, the movement of Zabi loyalists led by the infamous Haman Kahn - who had herself been a precious, while not exactly trustworthy, ally against the Titans - had been unrelenting, and their fleets' assaults were taxing the already-dwindling resources of the AEUG flagship.

"So... this is what we've managed to come up with up until now." Bright said, turning his glance to one of his few remaining pilots, an elegant and attractive woman of about 25 years of age, with brown hair tied in a bun behind her head, and wearing a green sleeveless military uniform, matching gloves and boots, and tight-fitting white pants. Emma Sheen, a former Titans officer who had turned against her superiors out of disgust for their brutal tactics, was one of the few who had survived the war against the Titans, even though she had been forced to kill her former friend turned traitor Reccoa Londo during the final battle...

"I'm afraid this is all we have right now, Captain Bright..." Emma stated. "We're severely understaffed, and our Mobile Suits won't be able to stand up to the new models fielded by our opponents for long. We're down to two Gundams Mk-2, my own included, and Private Yuiri's Methuss. Not exactly what I'd call a substantial army. We do have the Zeta Gundam as well, but with Kamille lost to us, we're unable to make use of it."

"I know..." Bright nodded sadly, remembering the blue-haired young Newtype whose skill has gotten tem out of many a tight spot in the past. "Sadly, right after the end of the Gryps War, we have lost all contact with Corporal Kamille, and we have had no way to contact him for now. Up until we can find a replacement, we won't be able to count on the Zeta's power."

"Captain Bright, we're approaching the colony of Shangri-La now." said a black-haired teenaged girl in a yellow Chinese-like dress, Fa Yuiri, the designated pilot of the Argama's Methuss. The young black-haired Chinese girl was now at the console, looking at the main screen which showed the Argama's position. "This is where we have our best chances of finding materials to repair the Argama. I have already sent a message to the colony asking for clearance."

Bright nodded. "I see. Good job, Pilot Yuiri, hopefully we will find some respite. The longer we stay here, the longer we are under attack from Neo Zeon and the other hostile forces."

The Argama began approaching the nearest cylinder-shaped colony, a rather run-down-looking place that looked like it hadn't been maintained in several years. The only somewhat unusual sights, for now, were several working robots that were gathering some of the floating material around the colony... and yet, as the battleship began its descend, one of them stopped what it was doing, and its pilot smiled to himself as he started going back to the colony's hangars...

**oooooooooo**

Some time later...

The working robot that had broken away from the rest earlier on had now landed in what looked like a large junkyard, at the borders of an old, dreary-looking city inside the Shangri-La colony... and its hatch opened with a slight hiss, allowing its pilot to come out.

"Heh, wait till the guys get a load of this! We've got a once in a lifetime chance... and we're not blowing it!" he said to himself, as he nimbly jumped down from the old machine. Several people would have been surprised to see that he was a young boy, about 13 or 14 by the looks of him, with dark brown hair combed in an Eighties hairstyle, short with a fringe on his forehead, and bright green eyes that shone somewhat mischievously. His clothes were old but practical, with a red jacket on a yellow shirt, black pants and ankle-height red trainers, and it was pretty clear that he didn't care much about what he looked like, as long as it was possible to work comfortably in his clothes.

He heard a few running steps coming from behind him, and turned in that direction to wave at the newcomers: as if summoned by his musings, several other teenagers had arrived, three boys and one girl, eager to ask their friend some important questions.

"Hey, Judau! Took you long enough, you old scoundrel!" a tall, freckled red-haired boy, who looked like the oldest and the leader of the small gang, greeted the pilot of the working robot. "So, what can you tell us? Is it true that they're coming?"

Fourteen-year-old Judau Ashta chuckled good-naturedly. "Hehee... yeah, Beecher, I can confirm that!" he said to his friend. "The Argama has been damaged in several skirmishes, and I can bet they'll take some time to repair it. A few days at the very least." he said, eyeing the rest of his gang.

"Oooh, sweet!" Mondo Agake, a teenager around the same age as Judau, wearing dark green jacket and trousers, and with a bowl-shaped haircut of dark brown hair, chuckled to himself. "Which means that, while they're undergoing repairs, they won't be needing the Zeta Gundam!"

A rather non-descript boy with longish light brown hair, Iino Abbav, voiced his suspicion about his friends' plan. "Hold on a second, everybody... you mean to say that we're simply borrowing the Zeta Gundam, isn't it?" he asked timidly.

After a moment of stupefied silence, all the boys burst out laughing. "Hahahaaa! Borrowing the... heheheee... Zeta Gundam?" Beecher stuttered between bursts of laughter. "Oh, come on, Iino, nobody ever got rich by being honest!"

"Er..." A little ashamed about having been simply brushed off like that, Iino tried to backpedal. "So... that means we're actually going to..."

"Steal it? Exactly, that's about it! That baby is going to be worth a bundle, you can bet on that!" Judau answered, grinning from ear to ear.

The only girl in the group, Elle Vianno, a cute blonde with her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a red jacket on a pink shirt, black fingerless gloves, and magenta pants and boots, clicked her tongue and smiled to herself, as she began thinking of a plan of action. "Now, all we need to do is come up with a way to sneak inside and get our hands on the Zeta Gundam! And I think I've got just the right plan for that!" she mused.

"Alright, Elle..." Beecher answered, his hands behind his head as he smiled at the blonde girl. Mondo smiled cunningly to himself, well aware that his best friend in the Shangri-La bunch harbored a not-too-secret crush on Elle. "Tell us, what do you have in mind for yoinking their brand new Gundam?"

"First of all, we'll need a distraction, and then..." All the boys gathered around their mutual friend, as she began explaining the course of action she was suggesting...

**oooooooooo**

Some time later, in a rather shoddy apartment block on the outskirts of the Shangri-La residential area...

The little girl sitting at her table, in front of her homework, sighed tiredly. It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon, and her brother still hadn't shown up. He seemed to have taken this annoying habit of staying away for far too long, and she had never liked how he wasn't exactly forthcoming about what they were discussing with that bunch of friends of his...

With another sigh, 11-year-old Leina Ashta decided to focus on her homework and try to get it done before her older brother Judau came back. After all, he was the one who was always out working, in order to gain enough money to pay for her schooling. The least she could do to help him was trying to do her best to get some good grades... However, she had barely restarted writing on her notebook, when a sound of steps coming from the stairs outside the apartment caught her attention, and the door to her room opened up slowly, revealing a smiling Judau holding several bags of groceries.

"Yo, Leina!" he greeted merrily. "So, how's your homework going?"

Leina put down her pencil and stood up to help her older brother carry the bags. She was really tall for a girl her age, and she easily approached five feet in height, with curly dark brown hair decorated by a blue ribbon, and wearing a pink dress on white shorts, and magenta shoes. "Welcome back, big bro!" she greeted him sweetly, catching a pair of his bags in her arms. "So, how's it going?"

"Well, Leina, I've got great news for ya!" Judau answered, as he walked nto the kitchen and placed the bags on the table. "You'll soon be able to attend school in the high quarters. Everything is first-rate around there!"

Leina blinked for a second in confusion, then she giggled to herself. "Hehehee... yeah, right! And that includes the taxes as well!" she joked. "Seriously, big bro, you know that you'll never make enough money for that by working at the junkyard."

"Oh, don't worry about that, sis! I've just got the deal that might allow us to fetch us the big money!" Judau answered. He took some ingredients out of the bags, in order to start preparing some dinner for himself and his sister. "After all, you like studying, right, Leina? Therefore, I'll make sure you can attend the best schools we have here!"

Leina wrinkled her nose in doubt. There was always only one possible explanation for her brother speaking like that, and not one she liked the implications of... "Hold on a sec, bro! I know what you mean when you say that, you're going to try and do something illegal!" she exclaimed. "You know I do not approve of this!"

"Silly, I'm not going to do anything strange!" Judau answered, jokingly flicking her on the forehead. The girl hmmphed in annoyance, but kept her mouth shut. "Just trust your big brother here! I'm just going to grab a golden opportunity... and after that, you won't have to worry about anything else! That's a promise!"

Leina shook her head, knowing that it was impossible to change her brother's mind on that point. "Alright... I just hope you're not going to regret this, big bro... I'm saying this for your own sake, you know..."

**oooooooooo**

Sadly, it seemed that the Argama was not the only battleship seeking refuge in Shangri-La. Not too far away from the run-down colony, in fact, a Neo Zeon cruiser ship was on its way, silently gliding through the debris field and approaching Shangri-La at a steady pace. On the main bridge, its commander was looking intently at the vastness of space, secretly impatient of having his chance to please Haman Kahn, the ruler of Neo Zeon, and the woman he respected and loved the most in the whole Solar System.

The young man commanding the Neo Zeon Endora-class cruiser was a strikingly handsome individual with long violet hair and a lean yet well-muscled physique, wearing the standard uniform for high-ranking Neo Zeon officer, a dark green color all over with black shoulder pads, black boots, and a stylized golden eagle drawn on the chest area, and a long black mantle was hanging off his shoulders. However, the most peculiar thing about him was the bright red rose he was gently yet firmly holding in one hand, as the ship he was commanding approached its destination.

The young man raised his head a little as his second-in-command, a large and burly man wearing a similar uniform sans the mantle, and with short and bowl-shaped black hair, came close to him and saluted. "Commander Mashmer, sir... I am glad to be able to tell you that the preparatives for entering the Shangri-La spaceport have been ultimated." he said in a deep voice.

The young man with the rose named Mashmer, smiling slightly, turned to his older underling. "Good job, Gordon... and what about our clearance to enter the colony?" he asked calmly.

"Nothing to worry about, sir. I already arranged for a few bribes to be given to the Shangri-La authorities, and they have assured me that they will leave the main port free for us to use." Petty Officer Gordon Gou answered with a nod. Mashmer closed his eyes and smelled his red rose, satisfied with the answer, before bringing his attention to the other problem they were facing.

"Excellent job, Gordon." Mashmer nodded. "And what about the Argama? Can you confirm that the battleship that entered the Shangri-La spaceport a few hours ago was the one we're looking for?"

"Not yet, sir... but we're looking into it." the older man answered. "We should have a definite answer soon."

"Good. See to it that you do." the purple-haired young man concluded. "You are dismissed."

Gordon bowed before walking away, and Mashmer smiled slightly to himself: this mission was looking to be a rather easy one... and when he would go back to Axis, bearing the news of an alliance with the Side 1 colonies, and the captured Argama, Haman Kahn would be extremely pleased with him!

"My beloved Lady Haman..." Mashmer said to himself, pinning his rose to the breast of his uniform. "As your knight, I shall aid you create the future you desire. I swear that on my very life."

**oooooooooo**

Shangri-La's spaceport was rather busy, for the standards of a backwater colony that usually didn't see much work... and that was probably the whole reason why the small gang of teenagers had managed to sneak by undetected, hiding themselves among the crates of materials that were being shipped on the cargos. Beecher, Mondo, Iino and Elle were now crouching low behind a makeshift barricade of crates and boxes, waiting for the final member of their gang to join them... and surveying a box of fireworks lying at their feet.

"Alright then... the plan is clear!" Beecher gleefully commented. "As soon as we're ready, we set off these babies, and Judau gets in and snatches the Zeta! Now, if only he would come already..."

"If you're talking about me, guys... you know what they say about the devil, right?" Judau said, popping out from behind a corner and reaching his friends, a bag of snacks in his arms. "And I've brought you something to snack on, while I was at it!"

Mondo smiled mischievously. "Well, Judau leave it to you to be late... is your big brother instinct to blame?" he joked, referring to how protective Judau was to his little sister. Judau dropped his bag of snacks among his friends, who each took something out and began eating.

"Yeah, yeah... joke as much as you want!" Judau snarked back. "Anyway, now that I'm here, we can start our plan. Run that by me again, Elle?"

"Sure!" the blonde girl answered. "It's rather simple, actually... we get close to the hangar, where they're holding the Zeta Gundam. Then, we set off these fireworks to cause some confusion and get our butts out of here, while you run in and snatch the Zeta! Simple enough, huh?"

"So it seems... well then, what are we waiting for?" Judau said with a wink. "We have a nice little Gundam to snag!"

The five teenagers stood up from their place, and began sneaking around, reaching a few passages they were sure none but they knew of, and quickly approached the Argama, managing to get close to the hangars without any of the skeleton crew noticing them. As they approached the hangars, they caught a glimpse of some of the personnel walking around the Mobile Suits, and quickly hid behind an unused console, perking their ears to listen to what they were saying.

"So, Astonage..." the voice of Captain Bright said. "Do you think we'll also have time to work on the Zeta Gundam?"

The chief mechanic of the Argama shook his head. "I'm afraid this will be a problem, Captain Bright..." he answered. "After all, we're concentrating on repairing the Argama itself, and the Zeta Gundam has taken little damage overall. It's still usable, at least theoretically."

"That's the problem..." Bright mused. "If at all possible, I would like for the Zeta Gundam's system to be simplified, so that at least Lt. Sheen may be able to pilot it. As it is, no ordinary pilot can handle it..."

"I know..." Astonage answered, his gaze pointing upwards to the Mobile suits present in the hangar. Judau and his friends carefully peeked out as well - there were no less than four Mobile Suits standing there: Fa Yuiri's Methuss, a squat yellow Mobile Suit that seemed somewhat simplistic and frail; a couple of Gundams Mk-2, distinctively resembling the original RX-78 Gundam; and finally, a majestic and sleek Gundam with a red-and-black shield mounted upon its left arm, its head adorned with the trademark V-fin, and its chest and shoulders protected by pads of blue armor. That was, of course, the famous MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, developed and piloted by the AEUG ace pilot, Corporal Kamille Vidan.

The news caught the Shangri-La urchins off guard, and they huddled together to whisper to each other. "Hey, have you heard that, guys? I'm afraid we are biting off more than we can chew here..." Iino murmured. For once, even his more eager companions could not fault him for thinking so...

"Iino's right, this time..." Mondo stated in worry. "If what those guys are saying is true, not even a seasoned military pilot can handle the Zeta Gundam. I wonder what kind of pilot was using it during the Gryps Wars. What chance do we have of piloting it?"

Beecher, however, was still rather optimistic about it. "Aw, don't worry about that, guys... you know how skilled Judau is, he can handle any kind of mechanical device! If there's anyone here who can make it out of the port with the Zeta Gundam, that's him!"

Judau gripped his hand into a fist in determination. "You can bet on that! I'll do it!" he stated. "I just need some distraction... and after that, I'll get inside that Gundam's cockpit and leave! You just think of getting away before they catch you."

"You got it, Judau!" Elle said with a knowing wink, getting her firecrackers ready. She quickly passed some of the fireworks to Iino, Beecher and Mondo, and signalled to all of them to get ready, before taking a peek out of their hiding place. Bright and Astonage were still surveying the Mobile suits, and they seemed not to know about the teenagers in hiding... "Alright, the grown-ups are still distracted! I'm sure we'll make enough of a ruckus for our plan to succeed!"

"Hehee... where would we be without you and your plans, Elle?" Beecher chuckled. "Alright, guys, get ready... on my mark! Three, two, one..."

As Judau was psyching himself for breaking into a run, the other Shangri-La kids lit up their firecrackers, and tossed them in the middle of the hangar, near the place where Bright and Astonage were chatting... and the effects were as dramatic as they were sudden! The fireworks went off with a deafening noise, emitting a sequence of vivacious colors and a strong smell of gunpowder, as the two adults jumped up with a start!

"What? What was that..." Astonage exclaimed. After a moment of surprise, Bright managed to keep his cool and walked near the place where the Shangri-La kids were hiding... only for all of them to come out running, and make a mad dash for the exit! All but one, that is... Judau, who took advantage of the confusion to dash towards the Zeta Gundam and climb inside the cockpit before anyone could do anything to stop him!

"Hey! What are you doing? Get down this instant!" Bright exclaimed. He had already understood that the plan was to steal the Zeta Gundam for money... "You cannot pilot that Mobile Suit... and neither can any normal person! You won't be able to sell it!"

Judau did not pay him any heed and, after hoisting himself up to the cockpit, he closed the hatch behind him as the rest of the Shangri-La gang tried to get away! Beecher even went as far as to turn back for a split second, in order to stick his tongue out at the two adults. "Bleeeeh! Catch us if you can, slowpokes! I dare ya!"

"Why..." Astonage muttered in annoyance as he grabbed a comm device from a nearby wall, choking on the still-lingering gunpowder. "Security! Security, we have an emergency! Catch those brats before they get away!"

"Keep your cool, Astonage!" Bright advised him. "Don't let them get to you, and just focus on catching those kids!"

"Hahahahaaa! It was even easier than we thought!" Mondo laughed, as he and his friends raced through the corridors of the Argama, making a mad dash for the exit. "Now we just need to get away and wait for Judau to come back!"

"See? Told you guys it would be easy!" Elle stated, allowing herself a small moment of self-celebration... which was immediately shattered as, after making a right turn, they came face-to-face with a group of Earth Union soldiers, Emma Sheen in front of them, with her arms crossed and smiling like a mother catching her bratty child with his hands in the jam! The Shangri-La urchins immediately broke their run and stopped in front of the soldiers, with comical fear expressions plastered upon their faces!

"And... where exactly do you think you're going, kids?" Emma asked.

**oooooooooo**

Judau, on the other hand, had been luckier: he had managed to get inside the cockpit of the Zeta Gundam, and as he sat down in the pilot's seat, he began taking a good look at the controls, in order to figure out which was which. "Hehehee... easy as pie!" he said, in a moment of self-congratulations. "These grown-ups are really gullible! And now, to get this thing out of here... let's see, should I press this button?"

Judau immediately clicked on a blue button on the console... and the Zeta shuddered, activating itself with a whirling sound of engines, and began transforming under Bright's surprised eyes! The head of the Zeta seemed to retreat inside the main body, and several other components began moving on their own accord... until, in but a few seconds, the Zeta Gundam had transformed into its Waverider form, resembling something of a fighter jet! Even more surprising was the fact that, soon after, Judau pulled the cloche and managed to take off, even if he began bumping on the hangar's walls as he tried to fly for the exit!

"What?" Bright exclaimed. "He... he actually managed to make the Zeta Gundam move? This boy... is definitely no common person... sure, he's handling it in a clumsy manner... but it's amazing that he's even handling it at all!"

Of course, as he was jarred around in the Zeta's cockpit by the violent rocking, Judau was not as pleased with himself... "Aaargh! This... this isn't good! I... can't handle the Zeta in this form! How can I make it turn back?" he exclaimed. Frustrated, he began pressing a few buttons on the console... and finally, after his third attempt, he managed to hit theright button, and the Zeta snapped out of Waverider mode and returned to its humanoid form, just as the nearest hangar door opened up! Never one to let such a chance go to waste, Judau piloted the stolen Zeta Gundam out of the hangar, and exited the spaceport with a triumphant yell!

"Yahooo! Way to go, man!" he cheered, giving his trademark grin. "I did it! Well, guess I have to thank this Mobile Suit's designer, he was quite a genius! To think that a Mobile Suit can complete a transformation like that in just one second... I can't believe my luck, this will earn me enough money to send Leina to college, never mind school!"

Intoxicated with his successful steal, Judau began humming to himself as the Zeta Gundam tried to walk away from the spaceport... only to be stopped by a communication from his main screen, upon which Captain Bright Noa's stern face appeared. There was some static, but it soon stabilized, allowing the captain of the Argama to speak to the young street boy. "_Pilot of the Zeta Gundam, do you copy? This is Captain Bright Noa, of the Earth Union Military!_"

"And I am Judau Ashta! Pleased to meet ya, pal!" Judau replied cheekily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Mobile Suit to sell to the highest bidder!"

"_I am afraid you will do no such thing, Judau._" Bright Noa answered. "_Return the Zeta Gundam at once, and we will let you and your friends go._"

Judau's good mood took a sudden plunge... and it was completely ruined when Beecher and Elle appeared on the screen, being escorted by Emma Sheen and another Earth Union soldier, and looking very embarassed about having been caught...

"_Ugh... we apologize, Judau! Don't worry about us!_" the freckled red-haired boy said.

"_Use the Zeta to gain as much money as possible for Leina's schooling..._" Elle continued, as Judau sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. He definitely had not seen this one coming...

"Ugh... and here I thought grown-ups were gullible. We've been had like amateurs..." he murmured. However, he did not hesitate, and stopped the Zeta Gundam right where he was, answering to Bright's request. "Alright, then... I will hand you back the Zeta, but in turn, you'll let my friends go! Is that a deal?"

Bright nodded, while Beecher and the others loudly tried to protest Judau's decision. However, in his mind, he was already trying to come up with another plan to come back and steal the mighty Gundam...

"_I don't give up that easily... Next time, I will snatch the Zeta right under your noses!_"

**oooooooooo**

"The hell do you want from me? I just gave you the Zeta back, didn't I?"

Judau was simply indignant. As soon as he was back in the hangar and out of the Zeta Gundam's cockpit, reunited with his friends... Captain Bright, Emma and Fa had simply walked up to them and given them a proposal that the Shangri-La boy found outrageous, to say the least! "You're asking me to join your crew and fight your enemies for you? No way in hell I'm doing that! I've got a sister to think of, and I can't just abandon her like that!"

"He's right, you know!" Beecher shot back. "Is this the way grown-ups do things?"

Bright sighed. He know it would be somewhat hard to come to an understanding with this bunch of rowdy kids, but at the very least he had to try... "I am certainly not asking you to abandon your family and your friends, Judau. But the situation is rather dire, and much as I don't like to ask for such favors, you're the only one who can help us now."

Judau turned his back on Bright and began marching away from him. "Pah! I've heard enough! Let's take our leave, guys! I'm not gonna listen to a word more from this liar!". And with that, the five teens tried to walk away from the place, only to be stopped when Emma made a sensible observation.

"Hold on a second, you kids." she stated, calmly but firmly. "Do you suppose you can just walk away like nothing happened? That Gundam you tried to steal is a one-of-a-kind model, and you tried to sneak onboard a military vessel who's still in the middle of an important mission. It's not something you can just walk out of and pretend never happened."

Judau winced, realizing the truth of Emma's words... but an emergency communication, blaring from the Argama's speakers, cut off any further discussion.

"_ATTENTION TO THE ARGAMA CREW. ENEMY CRUISER HAS JUST ENTERED THE SHANGRI-LA AIRSPACE. IDENTIFIED AS AN ENDORA-CLASS BATTLESHIP._" the voice of Torres, the Argama's helmsman, announced, causing everyone to turn their heads that way. "_THE NEO ZEON CRUISER IS FAST CLOSING ON OUR POSITION._"

"What? An enemy attack? Right now?" Elle exclaimed.

"This is bad..." Fa murmured, gritting her teeth. If only Kamille had been there, there would not have been cause to worry, but like this... the only Mobile Suits available were Emma's Gundam Mk-2 and her own Methuss... and Fa well knew that her own piloting skills were pretty limited. But aside from that, there was also the fact that they were still inside the colony... "Captain, we cannot engage the enemy here!"

"I agree, that would run too great a risk of damaging the colony..." Bright answered. "We need to throw them off somehow... but even if we were to head back to space, the Endora would simply give chase, and we're in no condition to outrun the Neo Zeon troops."

Surprisingly enough, it was Judau who came up with an idea. "Well, then.. I may have a solution for you!" he proposed. "We just need to get to the colony's core! Don't worry, us junk dealers know all about this place, we'll guide you to safety!"

Bright, Emma, Fa and the other Earth Union soldiers seemed dubious at first... but they knew thattheir choices were very limited, so they decided to trust the Shangri-La group for now. After all, they were in the same boat, and their mutual survival depended on each other... "Hmm... alright then! Activate the engines and get us out of the spaceport! We will follow these kids' suggestion."

"A wise choice, man!" Mondo stated. "Just you wait, we'll get you out of this mess in no time!"

**oooooooooo**

Sadly, the Neo Zeon Endora-class cruiser that had just entered the Shangri-La airspace was not going to just stay idle as the Argama tried to escape. On the main bridge, Mashmer had just received another interesting report about the battleship they had kept their eyes out for for so long!

"So... you can now confirm that the unknown ship is the Argama?" Mashmer asked to his second-in-command Gordon, barely able to mask his giddiness at the prospect of taking out one of the biggest menaces for Neo Zeon's expansion.

The larger man smiled and nodded. "We're 100% positive, Commander Mashmer! Apparently, they tried to get away by entering the colony's innermost space... but I had our accomplices close the industrial chute that they might have used to get away." he stated, earning himself a praising look from his younger superior.

"A most excellent job, Gordon! I will speak highly of you to Lady Haman, as soon as I hand her the Argama, its crew and the Zeta Gundam!" Mashmer praised him, taking another sniff from his rose. "Very well then, I presume I should do my part as well. Have my Mobile Suit prepared, I shall sortie myself to stop the Argama."

"Right away, sir!" Gordon saluted, before turning to the crew and referring Mashmer's orders...

**oooooooooo**

For their part, the crew of the Argama had discovered, much to their pleased surprise, that the Shangri-La urchins had not lied about the innermost parts of the colony being safer, and about there being some seldom-used passages they could use to evade their enemies - there was enough space to allow the large battleship to sail its way through, and no enemy in sight on the radar. So far, it seemed that the Argama was actually going to escape Neo Zeon, after all...

"Well, what do you know. These kids provided us with the right idea." Bright admitted. "I had never imagined there were these passages in such an old colony."

"These kids sure are a handful, huh, Captain Bright?" Astonage joked.

"Hey! You watch what you're saying, pal, we just took your asses out of the frying pan!" a somewhat annoyed Judau stated, hopping down from a console he had been lazily sitting on. "If it weren't for us, you'd still be there, being a sitting duck for the Neo Zeon!"

"Yeah! And don't think we did it out of the kindness of our hearts!" Beecher wanted to make that clear. "We expect some sort of reward for what we did for you! Right, gang?" He turned to the rest of the teens, and Mondo and Elle both nodded in assent, with the more timid Iino simply staying on the sidelines.

"Well, that much was obvious." Emma Sheen said. "However, you should know that, at the moment, we don't exactly have money available."

"That's no problem for us!" Judau answered, knowing that this was an unexpected second chance to get his hands on something much better. "We just want to... borrow the Zeta Gundam for a while!"

Bright sighed, having expected such a request from the group of rambunctious teenagers. However, if they thought he was a fool, they were going to have another thing coming. "Even that won't be possible, I'm afraid." he stated... much to the annoyance of the Shangri-La bunch!

"What the heck! Then you've just been pulling our legs all along!" Beecher shouted.

"Geez, grown-ups are so dishonest..." Mondo went on, blissfully setting aside the fact that he himself was complicit to a plan to steal a state-of-the-art Mobile Suit from a military vessel! However, there was no time to further discuss the issue... since, just then, a communication from an unknown source hailed the Argama crew, startling all of them!

"_ATTENTION. I HAVE A MESSAGE FROM THE CREWMEMBERS OF THE MILITARY VESSEL ARGAMA, OF THE EARTH UNION._" a young voice was heard. "_I AM MASHMER CELLO, OFFICER OF THE NEO ZEON ARMY._"

"What?" Bright exclaimed. "How is that possible? I thought we were in a safe position... how come we couldn't detect them?"

"This one seems to be a new model of Mobile Suit, Captain Bright..." Torres answered, bringing up the image of the new Mobile Suit on his main screen: it was an heavy-looking suit, sporting a dark green colour all over, with a slightly elongated head that seemed to emulate that of a reptile, with several missile launchers installed on its fingers and shoulder pads, and a beam saber hanging by its side. "The fact that it stayed on the ground and used the buildings as a decoy must have aided it in escaping our radars... though it must also have some sort of jamming device."

"_YOU ARE HEREBY ASKED TO SURRENDER WITHOUT ANY RESISTANCE._" Mashmer continued unabated. "_SHOULD YOU COMPLY TO MY REQUESTS, I WILL PERSONALLY GUARANTEE FOR YOUR SAFETY._"

"What a blowhard, coming to challenge us with that single Mobile Suit..." Judau commented, still making light of the situation. Unfortunately, Bright knew that his options were quite limited at this point. The Mobile Suit Mashmer was piloting looked like a model for close combat, but the missiles mounted on its hands and shoulders could surely pack a serious punch, and there was no way they could have escaped unscathed had combat broken out...

"Captain, I and Pilot Yuiri will get our Mobile Suits prepared and go out to meet this threat." Emma proposed, stepping forward with Fa by her side.

There wasn't much Bright could do if not nod his head in assent. At that moment, the Gundam Mk-2 and the Methuss were their best chances of repelling the Neo Zeon officer's attack... which wasn't much, all things considered. However, once again, something unexpected happened, as Judau, with an eager smile on his face, dashed to the hangars and climbed on the Zeta Gundam once again, gleefully ignoring the crew trying to recall him!

"How interesting! Well, if nobody's going, I'll take that guy on!" Judau exclaimed, quickly climbing onboard the mighty Mobile Suit and closing the hatch, before activating it and running out of the hangar, leaving Emma and Fa to gawk at him in disbelief... and the rest of the Shangri-La gang to cheer him on!

"Whoo-hooo! Way to go, Judau! Show 'em what the Shangri-La kids are made of!" Elle cheered.

"I can't believe this..." Fa murmured, a huge sweatdrop pouring down her forehead. "C... Captain Bright, you are not going to let this go, are you?"

"Of course I'm not!" Bright answered, storming angrily to the communicator's seat and grabbing a comm device to open a channel to the Zeta Gundam. "Judau! Hey, Judau, do you read me? Turn back and bring back the Zeta Gundam this instant!"

**oooooooooo**

"Why? What's the problem?" Judau asked mock-innocently. "You needed someone to go out and take that Neo Zeon clown, and I'm just the man for the job!"

"_You may think fighting in a Mobile Suit is fun... but once you're out there, you're gambling your own life! You understand this, right?_" Bright pointed out, still failing to impress the reckless junk dealer, who simply snorted.

"Well, duh. That kinda goes without saying, Sherlock." the teenager muttered. "But if no one does anything, we're gonna end up as prisoners. And I can't afford to get caught, I have a little sister to think of! Now, let's see what I can do..."

Judau began looking around himself, quickly locating the Neo Zeon Mobile Suit, which seemed to be waiting for him, with its bean saber drawn and held in its right hand. "_Hmmm, so you've come out, Zeta Gundam!_" Mashmer stated. "_So, pilot of the Zeta... what will it be?_"

"Only an idiot would give up without a fight!" was Judau's defiant answer.

Mashmer sounded more amused than actually insulted by that challenge, and he chuckled as he got into a fighting stance. "_Huhuhuu... fine then, boy! If you want it that way, I'll be happy to oblige! I am Commander Mashmer Cello of the Neo Zeon army, currently on a mission on behalf our beloved leader, Lady Haman Kahn!_"

"And I am Judau Ashta..." Judau answered, quickly looking around himself before continuing. "Currently skipping school!"

"_Fine, this Galluss-J will be your opponent! Draw your weapon, Judau Ashta!_" the violet-haired commander challenged.

"With pleasure!" Judau grabbed the Zeta Gundam's beam saber and pressed a button to activate it... but, much to his chagrin, the blade didn't flare to life, completely spoiling the dramatic tension of the moment! A nonplussed expression appeared on Judau's face, as he began fumbling with the controls in order to achieve the desired result! "Huh? Why did the beam saber not activate? Okay, let's see... it should be this one... no, wait, maybe this one? Ugh... just activate, dammit!"

In the Galluss-J's cockpit, Mashmer was just as confused about this as Judau himself... but he quickly composed himself and switched his beam saber off. "_Hmmm, I see... you don't want to use weapons to fight, I take it_." he commented. "_I'm rather impressed, truth be told. So you understood that I'm a knight at heart... so be it then, we shall battle as equals_."

Judau was not paying attention to any of this, and was still fumbling around to activate his sword... and finally hit a blue button on the console, and the Zeta Gundam changed into its Waverider form just like a few minutes earlier!

"Aaaaargh! Dammit, wrong button again!" Judau yelled in frustration. He pulled the cloche, trying to change back into Mobile Suit mode... but he only managed to cause the Waverider to take off and depart with blinding speed twards an abandoned area, leaving a very flabbergasted Mashmer behind!

"_Hey, what is the matter with you?_" Mashmer demanded to know. "_I just praised you, and now you're running away?_" 

Again, Judau paid him no heed and concentrated on getting the Zeta back on its feet. This time, he managed to hit the right button, and the Waverider quickly turned back to a humanoid form, stumbling in a none-too-elegant way among the ruined building of that deserted part of Shangri-La. Judau sighed in relief as he picked himself up, only to groan at the sight of Masmer's Galluss-J in hot pursuit. Why couldn't that guy just allow him a little time to recover?

In an attempt to fight back, Judau picked up a large piece of concrete and hurled it towards the Galluss-J, making use of the Zeta's exceptional strength. Mashmer was caught off guard by this unconventional fighting style, and he could not dodge in time, the slab of concrete hitting his Mobile Suit in the chest and rattling the young officer in his cockpit... but the damage was barely worth noticing: just a dent on the Galluss-J's chest armor, that caused no ill effect to the Mobile Suit's functioning.

"_Not bad at all. But will you be able to withstand this?_" Mashmer said. His Mobile Suit's missile-fingers suddenly pointed at the Zeta, he fired a rapid volley of shots, forcing Judau to fall back and use the ruined buildings as a makeshield shelter in order not to get hit. Several explosions surrounded him, kicking up a huge amount of dust and blinding the young junk dealer for a brief moment... which Mashmer took advantage of to close in and deliver a punishing punch to the Zeta's chest. To an onlooker, it would have looked like the Galluss-J had springs in its forearms...

The Zeta fell among the ruins, causing Judau a fit of coughing as he desperately tried to regain his bearings. "_So, is this all you are capable of? Such a shame._" Mashmer commented. "_Here I thought I was going to battle a worthy opponent. I was too optimistic, it appears. Then, let's end this here._"

**oooooooooo**

"This is bad... Judau is in trouble!" Iino murmured, gritting his teeth as he saw the Zeta Gundam fall to the Galluss-J's blow. It was clear thatJudau was not going to last long without ouside aid... and in fact, Emma and Fa had already boarded their Mobile Suits and were ready to sortie.

"There's no helping it... Lt. Sheen, Pilot Yuiri, you are requested to go out and support the Zeta!" Bright ordered. "Be extremely cautious, as the pilot of that unknown Mobile Suit is surely a Newtype. Engage him with extreme caution!"

"_We will, Captain Bright!_" Emma answered as the hangar doors opened again, though she privately had her doubts about being able to match a clearly experienced Newtype in a straight fight...

**oooooooooo**

Judau's fear began mounting as he saw the Galluss-J approach him, a large beam saber held in its hand, and ready to end the battle. Even a Mobile Suit as powerful as the Zeta Gundam had no chance of withstanding such a blow... and, driven by his sheer will to survive for his friends' and his sister's sake, Judau barely managed to stand up again and dodge the first blow. A second slash came half a second later, and Judau was unable to keep it for tearing a large gash in the Zeta's left shoulder, and the mighty Gundam was left stumbling. Deciding it was time to seize his chance, Mashmer raised his beam saber for one final time, and lunged forward, bringing the laser weapon down in an arc on the Zeta Gundam's exposed frame!

Judau grit his teeth, and his life flashed in front of his eyes... but just then, he felt like things were slowing down, and a strange, yet somehow familiar, feeling in the back of his mind spurred him to give it his best shot! Instinctively, he knew what to do and where to strike... and, catching Mashmer off guard, he lunged for the Galluss-J, brandishing his now-active beam saber!

The young Neo Zeon officer only had time to widen his eyes in disbelief, before the Zeta Gundam's beam saber struck true, hitting his Mobile Suit in its single eye camera and short-circuiting it! The Galluss-J's head came apart in a deafening blast, just as Emma's Gundam Mk-2 and Fa's Methuss approached the battlefield... and the two women were left to stare in wonder as the damaged Galluss-J stumbled backwards, dropping its own weapon!

"_Wh-what? How did you manage..._" Mashmer exclaimed, his cockpit flooded with alarm lights. He couldn't believe that a novice such as Judau had made a fool out of him so esily! This certainly wouldn't have gone well with Lady Haman... but, at least, Mashmer knew when he was beaten, and wisely decided to make a run for it and return to the Endora. "_Ugh... I admit defeat for this once, Judau Ashta! But do not rest easy, for I shall not forget this humiliation! Next time we meet, you will not be so lucky!_"

Mashmer began retreating as fast as he could with the damaged Galluss-J, leaving a stupefied Judau behind to gape at his own success. It had all been a flash to him... somehow, he knew when to attack, where to strike... as if an unknown voice from beyond had told him all of that in an instant!

"Did... did I do it?" he mouthed.

**oooooooooo**

"Guys! Have you seen THAT!"

"Kinda hard not to notice, Mondo! Judau just schooled that guy as if he was nothing!"

"I can't believe it..."

"And this was his first time piloting the Zeta, too!"

As the kids from Judau's group commented on the unexpected result of the battle, Bright himself was amazed by the sudden reversal of fortune. It was not a matter of chance, or the Neo Zeon pilot dropping his guard. He had seen that kind of situation a few times before, and there was only one plausible conclusion to all this...

"This is incredible..." Bright murmured to himself. "So... this Judau kid really is a Newtype... and a powerful one at that! I think things just got a little more complicated..."

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Author's Note: And so ends my first venture in the world of Gundam ZZ. Judau has had a few problems with his first battle, but in the end, thanks to his budding Newtype perceptions, he managed to get the upper hand on Mashmer! This is just the beginning of his journey, whether he wants to or not...**

**About Mashmer's name, I know there are quite a few translitterations, which I consider to be all more or less valid. I just went with the one that seemed less awkward to me.**

**And as for Leina's height... I don't remember all too well, but did read on some site that she's pretty tall for an 11-year-old Japanese girl (something like 5 feet...). Then again, it seems that many Zeta and ZZ characters are tall (Jerid, Scirocco, Judau himself, Roux...) so... I guess it's just a Tomino thing!**

**Well, that's about it for now! Hope you liked this chapter, and I'll see you all soon! **


	10. Battle In The Junkyard

**Super Robot Taisen S Zero**

**Hello, everyone! I'm sorry I couldn't get this story updated for the longest time, but my usual issues came up, and I couldn't write a satisfactory new chapter. Hopefully, that's an obstacle less to overcome now! Let's head back to the Shangri-La colony, where a teenage junkyard worker named Judau Ashta and his gang of merry friends have just taken the first steps in the world of hot-blooded heroism and epic mecha battles!**

**This chapter will be something of a filler, but hopefully it will be good to introduce Judau to the situation at hand, and let some of the old-timers get a piece of the action as well. The Neo-Zeon envoys might be something of a bunch of clowns, but they are not to be underestimated. Mashmyre Cello is nothing if not persistant, and he will not be deterred by a single defeat. And in the meantime... convincing a bunch of rambunctious, undisciplined teenagers to cooperate is going to be a pretty tall order as well! But Judau and his friends won't be able to bail out so easily, and they might have to receive a wake-up call very soon!**

**Okay, guess that will do for now. I hope this chapter will be good enough for you, after all this time I've left you waiting... happy reading, everyone!**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 10 - Battle In The Junkyard**

"Huh? What's this? You are asking me to become a pilot? Me, of all people?" an incredulous Judau Ashta asked as he stood on the Argama's main bridge, answering to the question that Bright, Emma and Fa were asking him. The group of young street urchins had reunited on the damaged battleship's main bridge, while the repairs were still underway, and the captain had asked this question unexpectedly, catching all of them off guard.

"Why don't you give it a shot, Judau? We could really use someone as talented as you are. And, of course, you will be handsomely rewarded as soon as we have the means to do so." Bright answered. He knew that Judau was going to be reluctant, but all in all, he was fairly confident that he'd manage to win him over.

Not surprisingly, at least for Bright, the black-haired teen shrugged it off. "Forget it, pal! I don't like being ordered around." he stated, quickly turning his back at bright, and beginning to walk away. What Bright, Emma and Fa were surprised to see was the fact that Judau's friends, mainly Beecher and Mondo, were actually trying to get him to reconsider, and just as Judau had taken a few steps away, Beecher came up to him and held him by the shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hold on a second here!" Beecher said jovially. "Now, is this any way to answer to such a generous offer?"

"He's right, you know?" Mondo insisted. "It would be a shame to give up on it!"

Judau sighed and shrugged off Beecher's hand. "Sorry, guys, but I'm afraid you're mistaken here." he stated. Without waiting for anyone to say anything more, the young boy took off in the opposite direction and walked out of the bridge, with all of his friends in hot pursuit.

"Hey, hold on a second there! Where do you think you're going?" Mondo exclaimed, in a new attempt to win Judau over to their side. Their friend, however, didn't even slow down, and just turned his head briefly in their direction to give them his answer.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to school." he answered, with disarming simplicity.

It took a few seconds for the answer to register in the minds of the rest of the Shangri-La gang. "Huh? What?" Iino murmured in shock. "Judau... is actually going to school now?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if Mt. Fuji erupted, at this rate..." Elle commented. For their part, the crew of the argama looked a little more subdued about it...

Fa Yuiri, the designated pilot of the Methuss, a pretty black-haired Chinese girl with shoulder-long hair, dressed in a yellow worksuit and white gloves and boots, sighed in resignation. "Well, Captain Bright... I do not mean to sound cheeky or anything, but we knew Judau was not going to be that easily convinced." she stated. "And personally, I don't see how he could possibly be a substitute for Kamille."

"I understand your misgivings, pilot Yuiri." Bright answered, well aware that Fa harbored a not-so-secret crush on Kamille Bidan, the former pilot of the Zeta Gundam. "However, I am convinced that Judau has some huge potential as a pilot, and might even be a Newtype. If that's the case, he might be a great help in the coming battles with Neo Zeon."

Fa was not about to question the much more experienced captain, but she privately doubted that street urchin could actually be a worthy pilot for the Zeta Gundam that Kamille himself had created...

**oooooooooo**

Onboard the Endora...

Alone in his quarters, dressed in his elegant Neo Zeon uniform, Mashmyre Cello looked around to check whether he was alone... then, after he was positive no one was seeing him, he took off the red rose he was keeping pinned on his uniform's jacket and carefully placed it on a table right in front of him. Then, he slowly crouched down on one knee, closed his eyes and clasped his hands in front of himself.

"O my beloved Lady Hamaan..." he said emphatically. "Please, I beseech you, protect your humble servant Mashmyre Cello, with your strength... Before you, I am but a simple lost lamb, seeking for guidance... please, Lady Hamaan, bestow courage and wisdom upon your humble servant..."

A startled sound from his side caused him to snap out of his prayer, and the young officer looking in that direction... just in time to see his second-in-command Gordon Gou staring at him in wide-eyed surprise, as if he could not believe what he was seeing! Mashmyre himself took on a weirded-out expression and stared at his direct underling in disbelief... before dashing at the hapless Gotton and grabbing him by the front of his uniform, literally lifting the larger man off the ground!

"AAAAARGH!" Mashmyre yelled. "How long have you been there, you? Have you seen anything? HEARD ANYTHING?"

"I... I have seen nothing, sir!" Gordon tried to escape from that awkward situation. "I haven't even heard you talking about lost lambs or humble servants..."

"SO YOU HEARD EVERYTHING!" Mashmyre exclaimed, comically shaking Gotton into dizziness!

"Aaaargh! I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry! This won't happen again, I swear!" the larger man exclaimed. After a few seconds, Mashmyre finally relinquished his hold on Gordon and let him get some air back in his lungs, calming down all of a second.

"Hmph... okay, good enough." he answered. With a nonchalant wave of his hand, the young Neo Zeon officer straightened his uniform and returned to the matters at hands. "So... what have you come to tell me? I reckon it's a pretty important issue."

Gordon cleared his throat. "Well... some guy by the name of Gemon Bajack has come to tell us that he's willing to hire out his services to weed out and capture both the Zeta Gundam and the Argama. He's asking to speak with the commander of this ship."

Mashmyre blinked in surprise. Now this was something he had not expected. "What? You mean that some random civilian has come here... and wants to help us capture the Argama?" he asked. As Gordon nodded in confirmation, Mashmyre rubbed his forehead as if in thought, and finally answered. "Alright, I guess it won't hurt to try. I'll speak with this guy, and hopefully he won't make too much of a mess. Take me to him."

"Right away, sir." Gordon answered. "Please, if you would follow my lead..."

Mashmyre followed his direct underling to the hangars of the Endora, where his own Mobile Suit had just finished being repaired, and was now standing along with a group of Zussa and Dreissen Mobile Suits, mass-produced models commonly used by the remnants of Zeon. Mashmyre's keen eyes quickly saw that there was an extra Mobile suit onboard - a rather unrefined, olive-colored model that looked like a modified working robot, with a sturdy body with a protruding chest, and a neckless cone-shaped head that seemed to sprout out of the body itself. Its shoulder were wide and awkward-looking, and it sported a pair of extra arms ending in a pair of claw-like vicegrips, obviously used to handle raw materials. The head had a monoeye camera that reminded one of a Zaku head, while the legs were bulky and robust, jutting out of a skirt-like formation in the lower part of the body. By taking a better look, Mashmyre was able to see that the cockpit was placed right between the chest and the abdomen, and was placed on a belt-like conveyor placed circling the whole body. It was a peculiar thing to see on a Mobile Suit, and Mashmyre immediately questioned the practicality of such a thing...

"Hey, you with the purple hair!" an arrogant, boisterous voice greeted him, making Mashmyre wince in disgust. "You're the captain of this thing, right?"

Mashmyre thought the man's appearence was every match with the tone of his voice. He was a large, fat man with dirty blond hair and an unkempt appearence, wearing a bright pink pilot suit with a large G drawn on the chest, and sporting an arrogant mirk on his face. He was standing right in front of the modified working robot, and it was rather clear that he was the owner.

With a shrug, Mashmyre decided that he might as well try to see what this guy was all about. "Yes, I am. And you are?"

"Gemon Bajack, the proud inventor of this Mobile suit, the Geze! I just happen to be a junk dealer with a penchant for inventions!" the fat man answered haughtily. "With this little jewel, I will crush the Zeta Gundam... and after that, the Argama will be pretty much a sitting duck! All I ask in return is a sizeable reward. Give and take, right?"

"I guess so. But frankly speaking, I doubt someone like you has wht it takes to defeat the Argama." Mashmyre answered, looking scornfully at the Geze.

Gemon remained undaunted, and in fact even went as far as to laugh off Mashmyre's opinions. "Oh, is that so? Well, lemme tell you one thing." he answered. "I saw one of your men fighting the Zeta Gundam yesterday, near one of the junkyards... and even if you had a dozen pilots like that good-for-nothing facing the Zeta Gundam, you wouldn't be able to do jack squat!"

Mashmyre froze for a moment, understanding that Gemon was talking about the unfortunate battle he had sustained against the Zeta Gundam piloted by Judau... and after a second, he began chuckling nervously. "Huhuhuhuuu... really, huh? Well... that's pretty interesting! I'm... really curious to see what you can do!"

"Excellent! You have discerning taste, if nothing else!" Gemon laughed, slapping Mashmyre on the back with such ooomph that the unfortunate Neo Zeon officer almost ended up sprawled facedown on the hangar's floor. "Trust me, and you won't be disappointed!"

Gordon came to the aid of his superior officer, and grabbed one of Gemon's arms, trying to twist it behind the fat man's back. "Hey, give it a rest, and don't get uppity!" Gordon threatened. Mashmyre, who had barely managed to avoid falling to the ground by holding to a nearby railing, recovered his breath and raised a hand to tell Gordon to let go.

"Enough, Gordon. Just let him go." Mashmyre said. "We need to be friendly with the inhabitants of this colony, after all."

"Er... yes, sir..." Gordon answered, and reluctantly relinquished his hold on Gemon's arm. The fat man rotated his shoulder and glared arrogantly at the two Neo Zeon officers, before getting back to his Mobile Suit and climbing a small ladder that gave access to the Geze's cockpit.

"Alright, then." Gemon concluded. "Just wait for me, I will hand the Zeta Gundam and the Argama to you on a silver platter! Hahahahahaaaaa!" With a loud laugh, Gemon entered the cockpit and began starting up his customized Mobile Suit, while technicians and operators immediately began clearing the area.

Gordon rubbed the back of his head, and turned his glance at Mashmyre, his eyes darting to the Geze, whose engines were already starting to emit a loud, whirring noise. "Lord Mashmyre, sir... are you sure it is wise to leave the capture of the Argama to such a person?"

"Of course not." Mashmyre answered nonchalantly. "Petty Officer Gordon Gou, you are to take a Dreissen and keep a close eye on him. Immediately report to me if he steps out of the line, or if he does something like attacking civilians."

Gordon did a crispy military salute. "Yes sir! I will not disappoint you!"

**oooooooooo**

Shangri-La was not exactly the wealthiest colony in the Earth Sphere... and the only available school was a rather old-fashioned building that included both elementary and high school, which was attended only by those who had enough money to pay for the tuition. At that moment, a lesson was underway in one of the elementary classes, and a familiar tall, curly-haired preteen was answering a question from the teacher, standing up right beside her desk.

"So... in order to solve this equation, all we have to do is have the constants all on one side of the equal sign, and all the variables on the other, by changing the signs accordingly." Leina said, pointing to the operation drawn in white chalk on the blackboard. "After which, we can add up all the terms on both sides, and divide the constant by the factor of the variable. This way, we get the solution."

The teacher nodded. "Exactly. That's the right answer, Leina." he said, allowing Leina to sit down at her desk. However, before she could do so, one of her classmates pointed out of the window while calling out to her.

"Hey, Leina! Check this out!" the boy said. "Your brother Judau and his friends are here!"

"My brother? What is he doing here?" she asked in disbelief. She and several other pupils stood up and walked to the window of the classroom... just in time to see Judau and his small gang standing just inside of the school, chatting with another teacher. Or better say, Judau was the only one chatting, and he seemed to be arguing with the older man.

"What? What's this all about? You can't tell me off like that!" Judau was yelling indignantly, with Beecher, Mondo and Iino trying to appease him, and Elle standing right behind them, with her hands on the back of her head, and a bored expression on her face. "I just want to attend the lessons like everybody else!"

"You're being an annoyance, kid." the teacher said. "If you really want to study, you have to come to school regularly, ever since the morning classes. This is not a place where you can come and go as you please."

"Hmph... well, _excuse me_ if I have more pressing matters to attend to, like, putting food on the table!" Judau fired back, before storming out of the school in indignation. Elle sighed and followed her friend outside, with the rest of the confused teens following shortly.

"Well, Judau, you already knew it would have gone that way." the blonde girl stated. "Why did you even take the trouble?"

Judau sighed and looked in the distance, to the junkyard in which the Argama was hidden. That battleship had been nothing but trouble until now...

And at the window of Leina's classroom, the curly-haired preteen sighed in sympathy as her eyes followed Judau and his friends out of the school...

"Big brother..."

**oooooooooo**

Not too far away, though, a couple of Mobile Suit was approaching the residential area, as stealthily as possible. Gemon's custom-made Geze was in front, with Gordon's Dreissen keeping close, a large heat axe tightly gripped in its hands. The Geze, for its part, did not seem to armed, instead relying on its two pairs of arms and its heavy armor.

"Hey, Gemon! Let me make one thing clear!" Gordon spoke in his comm device. "You are not to destroy the colony's civilian buildings, alright?"

Gemon laughed rudely. "That's Sir Gemon to you, fool! Remember, I have been given command by your big boss, and I have the right to do whatever I like!"

Mashmyre's second in command grit his teeth. What kind of idea was it to leave such an imbecile in command? If he started attacking civilians, that would have greatly damaged Neo Zeon's reputation among the colonies... However, there was nothing he could do right now, so he simply swallowed his protests and followed the Geze towards the residential area, wondering what Gemon was going to do. It certainly didn't look like the Zeta Gundam or the Argama could be hidden among the buildings...

**oooooooooo**

One hour later, recess had started for the pupils, and Leina had taken advantage of that moment to reach her brother and his friends in the schoolyard, in order to ask him about what he was doing in the school corridor earlier. Surprisingly enough, the little girl had been quite pleased to know that her brother had been given the chance to become a pilot for the Argama.

"That's awesome, big bro! So, are you going to accept or not?" Leina asked.

Judau, his back to the external wall of the school, sighed in annoyance. "Really, Leina, why are you so excited about that?" he asked, only to receive a beaming smile from his kid sister.

"Well, it's just that I approve of this!" she answered. "Hey, at least it's a honest job, and you won't have to do anything illegal anymore, right?"

"That's not exactly what we had in mind... but hey, whatever works." Beecher answered. Judau was starting to think of a witty comeback, but he stopped cold when he heard the unmistakeable noise of a pair of Mobile Suit engines approaching! One of them sounded off, for some reason... but the earth-shaking steps that followed, which threw most of the children into a panic, confirmed to him that danger was quickly approaching!

Mondo quickly turned in the direction of the steps... just in time to see the Geze and Gordon's Dreissen popping out from behind a nearby building, their sheer bulk towering over the school! If they were to attack now, there was no way he and his friends could possibly fight back... "Oh, crap! It's two Neo Zeon Mobile Suits!" he exclaimed in alarm. "And they're coming here!"

"What? What do they want with us?" Elle exclaimed as the Shangri-La urchins backed up against a wall, the screams of the terrified children echoing all around them. Judau stepped in front of Leina, trying to shield her with his body as he glared at the approaching Mobile Suits.

Inside his Dreissen's cockpit, Gordon was getting incensed at Gemon's actions. "What are you doing, Sir Gemon? I told you not to attack civilian buildings!" he exclaimed. "And besides which... do you actually think the Zeta Gundam might be hidden in a school?"

"Of course not, you imbecile!" Gemon fired back. "But I'm not going to go on a wild goose chase for the Zeta Gundam! I'll just pretend to threaten this school, so the Zeta Gundam will come out of hiding!" That said, the junkyard worker turned pilot activated his Mobile Suit's external speakers, in order to relay a threat to the pilot of the Zeta Gundam, wherever he was. "_TO THE PILOT OF THE ZETA GUNDAM AND THE CREW OF THE ARGAMA. I DEMAND THAT YOU SHOW YOURSELVES. I AM CURRENTLY HOLDING THIS SCHOOL HOSTAGE. I WILL ONLY RELEASE THEM IF THE PILOT OF THE ZETA GUNDAM COMES OUT TO FACE ME IN SINGLE COMBAT._"

"Oh, wonderful..." Judau muttered to himself. "We just had to deal with some blowhard who thinks he's hot shit..."

**oooooooooo**

On the main bridge of the Argama, Gemon's threat had already been intercepted, and now the crew was trying to get in contact with Judau, without much success.

"Still nothing, captain Bright Noah." Emma Sheen stated, shaking her head before standing up in front of the captain and doing a military salute. "In the meanwhile, I ask for permission to go out in the Gundam Mark II and engage the enemy. I will try to draw them away from the residential area."

"Permission granted. To the rest of the crew, we'll remain hidden and try to confuse the enemy radars." Bright answered. As the ex-Titans officer stood at attention before walking to the hangars, the rest of the crew continued working at their consoles, some of them still trying to get in contact with Judau.

Fa raised her glance from the instruments. "Captain Bright Noah, if you don't mind me asking... why do you think that Judau kid will be so important to us?" she asked doubtfully. "I mean... he might be a Newtype, okay, but he's completely green."

"As I said, pilot Yuiri, I think he has a lot of potential." Bright answered calmly.

This time, however, Fa was determined to show Bright that Judau was not going to be a substitute for Kamille. "Look, captain Bright... I understand that, but Judau is completely different from Kamille... he won't be able to handle the Zeta Gundam like Kamille is." With that, the Chinese girl rose from her place and began following Emma towards the hangars. "Captain, with your permission... I'll take the Zeta Gundam in battle myself. I will show you that Judau isn't really all that remarkable."

"Hold on a second, pilot Yuiri... you can't do this by yourself!" Bright tried to recall her, as Fa hastily pace towards the hangars...

**oooooooooo**

Judau and his friends had managed to sneak behind the school building, undetected by the Geze's external cameras... and now that they were out of Gemon's sight, they could safely work up a plan to get rid of that annoyance. Judau's mind, in particular, was frantically working to think up a good plan... and now, he thought he had one ready!

"Not that I really care if this school gets demolished, but if it did, Leina would not be able to study anymore... Okay, guys, Iino and I will try to distract that guy. Beecher, Mondo, Elle... you go and find the most robust rope you can get your hands on!" Judau stated. "There must be some pretty heavy ones in our junkyard. Use one of those."

"What are you planning, Judau?" Beecher asked, still somewhat unconvinced.

"Don't worry, I know what we can do." Judau answered, casting a suspicious glance at the Dreissen standing just outside the school's premises. "Just trust me... we'll draw that Mobile Suit towards the forest area right outside the residential area."

"Hmm... I think I got it." Elle said with a cunning smirk. "Alright, then... just be careful, okay?"

"That's what I want to say as well." Leina answered. "Be careful, big brother... you're doing a really dangerous thing, you know that?"

"Of course I know... but I guess this is something I just can't walk out of." Judau told his sister. "Alright, then... Leina, go back inside and stay safe. We're going to get that guy in a few minutes."

"Okay..." the younger Ashta sibling answered with a nod, quickly heading back inside the building. Elle, Beecher and Mondo nodded in Judau and Iino's direction and quickly rushed away, leaving the other two to wait in that position.

"Okay, Judau... so how do we deal with this guy?" Iino asked, casting a nervous glance at the Geze and the Dreissen. Both Mobile Suits were sitting idly, with the Geze standing only a few metres away from the school, and the Dreissen seemingly keeping an eye on it from a safe distance away from the building.

"First off, Iino... we need to get to the school roof, without that guy noticing us." Judau answered, casting a quick glance in the direction Elle and the others had ran to. The forest area was close enough, so if they ran for all they were worth, they would be able to reach the place before the Geze could catch up to them. It was risky, but it was worth the effort. "And while we're at it, we'll also need a couple of things to make as much noise as we possibly can. Maybe a couple buckets and brooms will do."

"You want to use them to draw that guy's attention, right?" Iino asked rhetorically, as the two teens ran back into the school building, the Neo Zeon pilots none the wiser about it. Both of them went into a tool room and gathered a pair of buckets and brooms, before waiting for a few minutes... just enough time for Judau's cellphone to ring. The boy quickly answered, convinced tht it was his other friends giving him the clear signal... and indeed it was, as Mondo's voice confirmed to him only a few moments later.

"_Hey, Judau... we did it! We managed to find exactly what we needed!_" the other boy stated. "_We found a nice rope for heavy labor... it will surely be able to hold the weight of a Mobile Suit!_"

"Excellent! Nicely done, guys!" Judau answered, sporting a boyish grin. "Okay, Iino, that's our cue to spring into action! Are you ready?"

The timid, rather non-descript boy nodded, tightly holding his bucket and broom. "Of course I am! Well... as ready as I'll ever be..." he stated. "I just hope you know what you're doing, Judau..."

Judau winked and gave him a thumbs-up. "I always know what I'm doing! Don't worry, it will all be alright!"

**oooooooooo**

"Dammit..." Gemon grunted, nervously tapping his finger on his console. "What the Hell is taking so long for the Zeta Gundam to show up? And to think those Neo Zeon guys are so worried about it..."

A loud drumming, coming from the roof of the school building, startled him... and the junkyard worker turned impromptu mercenary quickly turned his Mobile Suit in that direction, only to be greeted by the sight of Judau and Iino loudly smacking a couple of buckets with the handles of a broom, and making fun of him!

"Hey, you nincompoop! You think you're so cool, huh?" Judau taunted him, before pulling an eyelid down and sticking his tongue out at Gemon.

"You think that piece of junk is an Hizack or something?" Iino echoed, pointing his finger in the Geze's direction. That was all it too for Gemon to get his proverbial goat going, and two clouds of steam emerged from his head with a loud hiss, as he turned an infuriated glance at the two Shangri-La street urchins!

"WHAT?" he bellowed angrily. "How dare you disrespect the Geze I built with my own hands? I'm gonna teach you a lesson in respect, you damn kids!"

"_Hey, hold on a second there..._" Gordon tried to recall the indisciplined Gemon and force him to stay put, but Gemon quickly turned off hs Mobile Suit's speakers and began walking towards the Shangri-La boys with all the speed his Geze was capable of. That is to say, not very fast at all... slow enough for Judau and Iino to drop everything they were doing and run to the evacuation stairs, quickly dashing down with a few agile leaps before running at top speed towards the nearby forest area. The Geze began giving chase, its ponderous steps causing the eart to shake and several windows to shatter, but it was too slow to really gain any ground on the two Shangri-La teens. Much to Gemon's frustration...

"Aaaaargh! Stay put and let me put you in your place!" the large man raged.

In the Dreisssen's cockpit, Gordon was shaking his head in absolute disbelief. "No way this is happening... no way this is happpening!" the exasperated second-in-command of the Endora sighed sadly. "How is it that we allowed this moron to search for the Zeta Gundam? Ugh, Commander Mashmyre will never let me hear the end of it, when I go report to him!"

**oooooooooo**

Frntically looking behind them to keep an eye on the Geze, Judau and Iino ran along an unpaved road taking to the forest area, at the entrance of which Beecher, Mondo and Elle were already waiting, having tied a huge rope between the trunks of two large trees. The two boys were standing on one side, with Elle on the other, and they were ready to pull the rope tight at the right moment...

"Here we are, Judau, Iino!" Beecher exclaimed, with the Geze right on the two boys' heels. "Just give us the word, and we'll trip that fool up!"

"Proceed!" the young boy answered as soon as both he and Iino were on the other side of the rope. The Geze was only a few metres away... and that was when Beecher, Mondo and Elle pulled the large rope as taut as possible! The handmade Mobile Suit was too close to do anything to avoid it... and with a surprised yelp, Gemon tripped on the rope, causing his Geze to topple forward and collapse to the ground with an earth-shaking noise!

"Yay! We got him!" Iino cheered. But their joy was short-lived: with a disquieting sound of metal scraping on metal, the Geze's cockpit rotated and got on the clunky Mobile Suit's back, and the Geze started to climb to its feet already!

"Aaaargh! You damn kids!" Gemon exclaimed. "Not only you made fun of my marvelous Geze, you even dare to pull my leg! You're going to pay for this!"

The Geze stood up again as the Shangri-La gang scattered, and Gordon's Dreissen finally caught up with the indisciplined improvised pilot... but before the Neo Zeon pilots could give chase, or do anything for that matter, a beam of blue light blasted apart a nearby tree, cutting them off before they could do anything. Both Mobile Suit turned just in time to see Emma's Gundam Mark-II rushing towards them, her beam rifle raised and ready to fire again.

"I'm afraid your plans will have to be modified." Emma said bluntly. "I am going to be your opponent now."

"What?" Gemon roared. "Since when did the inhabitants of this backwater colony have Mobile Suits?"

Gordon almost smacked his hand on his face in frustration. "Ugh... If you had paid attention, you would know!" he stated. "The Zeta Gundam isn't the only Mobile Suit the Argama has! The one you see here is none other than the Gundam Mark-II."

Gemon frowned, but then decided that it made no difference. "Feh, like I should care. This toy is no match for my Geze anyway." he sneered. In the cockpit of the Mark-II, Emma shook her head at the suicidal overconfidence of this man. What really worried her was the fact that she would probably have to deal with both him and the Dreissen at the same time, but she was fairly sure she could take them on, if she kept her distance...

However, both Emma and the Neo Zeon pilots were surprised to see another blip appearing on their radars... and the Shangri-La gang, from their hideout, managed to see the sleek, elegant figure of the Zeta Gundam approaching! Emma quickly activated her rear cameras in alarm, and widened her eyes when she realized that the only way the Zeta Gundam could be there was, if Fa had actually climbed into the cockpit!

"What? Fa, what do you think you're doing?" Emma exclaimed.

Gemon smirked. "Feh... about time you showed up, Zeta Gundam!"

"Hey, guys, isn't that the Zeta Gundam?" Elle exclaimed. "And why does it move so... awkwardly? Who's at the controls?"

"I dunno... but surely nobody that knows what he's doing!" Judau answered. It just took a single look at its flight pattern to realize that something was very wrong with it... it was moving in a strange zigzagging pattern, stumbling at almost every step, and it seemed to have trouble even holding its shield and beam saber. In the cockpit, Fa was realizing, much to her chagrin, that she had probably bitten off more than she could chew... the controls were a lot more complicated than she thought, and she was barely managing to keep the Zeta Gundam upright... her only chance was to lure that four-armed Mobile Suit away from its companions, and hope Emma was going to be able to handle the Dreissen on her own...

"I... I'm sorry, Emma... I just had to do something to help out in this situation!" Fa answered her friend, who just sighed and shook her head. Fa knew what that meant - she was due to a lecture, as soon as they were back on the Argama. "Look, I'm sorry... I'll try to make it up somehow! But now... please, can you get that guy in the Dreissen away from me? I'll take care of the guy in the four-armed Mobile Suit!"

"I hope you know what you're doing, Fa..." Emma stated, before quickly turning to Gordon's Dreissen and firing a shot from her beam rifle! Gordon yelped in surprise and dove sideways to avoid the attack, but Emma was still able to strike the Dreissen's arm, greatly damaging it and almost causing it to drop its heat axe. Fa nodded in relief and began moving the Zeta Gundam away from the site of the battle, hoping that Gemon would take the bait...

"Hold on a second, Zeta Gundam!" Gemon raged. "You gonna leave me here, when you've kept me waiting for so long?"

The Zeta Gundam changed form into Waverider Mode and flew away, trying to force the Geze farther away from the residential area. Luckily, Gemon took the bait and began following the agile flier, allowing Judau and the rest of the Shangri-La gang to come out of hiding. The Gundam Mark-II, for its part, had managed to get in close quarters with Gordon's Dreissen, and its beam saber was fending off the razor-sharp blade of the heat axe rather handily, at least for the moment... at the very least, the former Titans officer was making good on her reputation, but Fa was a whole other matter...

"I'm afraid that the Zeta Gundam might be in trouble this time..." Judau stated. "Let's follow it and that other guy! They seem to be going towards the old gasoline plant..."

**oooooooooo**

After what seemed to her like an eternity of being chased, Fa managed to turn the Zeta Gundam to an upright position again and landed right in the middle of an abandoned gasoline plant. The mighty Mobile Suit managed to keep an unsteady footing, as the Geze, who had been on its tail for a few minutes now, brought down the fencing around the station and got ready to face the Zeta Gundam.

"Hahahahaaa! What's the matter, Zeta Gundam?" Gemon laughed. "We haven't even begun to fight, and you're already flinching?"

"Don't say such nonsense, you!" Fa fired back, as she unlimbered the Zeta Gundam's Mega Beam Launcher and aimed it at the Geze, whose pilot remained unperturbed and even went as far at to laugh in her face.

"Hey, girlie! Are you stupid or what? You can't shoot with such a powerful weapon inside of a freaking colony!" he said, pointing to the huge gun the Zeta Gundam was wielding. Fa looked down at the massive beam launcher and grit her teeth, embarassed at her own forgetfulness - had she tried to fire the Mega Beam Launcher inside the colony, she would have ended up blowing a hole in the wall, with horrific consequences for everyone...

Unfortunately, this momentary distraction was all Gemon needed to attack. With surprising speed for such a bulky Mobile Suit, the Geze rushed at the Zeta Gundam and struck it in the chest with one of its fists, hard enough to drop the sleek Gundam on its back. Fa screamed in surprise and tried to get up... only to find the Geze already standing over her, even as she tried to inch towards her beam saber. With a single kick, the Geze punted the beam saber away from the Zeta Gundam, while Gemon smirked, confident he had won already.

"Tch... the Zeta Gundam isn't as strong as everyone would have you believe!" he sneered. Fa tried to get up again, but her opponent was once again faster than she expected and knocked her down with a single punch, sending the Zeta Gundam skidding towards a small hill. "Stay down and stop struggling! You'll make things easier on yourself!"

"Ugh... I can't be defeated like this..." Fa panted, feeling a small rivulet of blood running down a cut just above her right eye...

"Hmph..." Gemon grunted, holding down the Zeta Gundam. The Geze had a phenomenal strength, and she was struggling to even oppose its hold. "Look, girlie, I don't wanna kill ya, so just get out of that Gundam and run away. I'll be content with just taking your suit!"

**oooooooooo**

Judau and his friends were on the place in a snap, and were watching the battle from a safe distance... and it was plain to them that the Zeta Gundam was not going to last much longer. Sooner or later, that hideous-looking four-armed Mobile Suit would overpower the inexperienced Fa, and that would be it.

"Dammit... the Zeta Gundam is losing!" Judau exclaimed.

"But.. how can the Zeta possibly lose to such a crappy Mobile Suit?" Mondo asked, while Judau looked around to see if there was something they could use to distract Gemon long enough to turn things around. Much as he didn't like the idea, he was going to have to pilot it again, in order to defend his colony and, most of all, his sister...

By some stroke of luck, he saw a nearby fuel tank, teetering precariously on the edge of a tall cliff, close to the place where the two Mobile Suits were squaring off... it was only held up by a few damaged, rusted iron poles that seemed about to break at the smallest nudge. It was a risky idea... but if they played their cards right, they could actually buy enough time for Fa to get out of that predicament...

"There, everybody! Let's get to that fuel tank!" Judau exclaimed, pointing at the large spherical container. The rest of the Shangri-La gang looked confused, but followed after their unofficial leader and quickly reached the tank. Beecher did a quick check, picking up a metal bar from the ground and using it to strike the bottom part of the tank. When it ringed hollow, the red-headed boy nodded and turned to the rest of the gang, giving them a thumbs-up.

"There's no risk, guys! This tank is completely empty!" he said. With that, the gang placed themselves on one side of the empty tank... and after a few seconds, they began pushing with all of their strength, in a fierce attempt to cause the holdings to break. It went exactly like Judau had planned, and the iron poles bent over and caused the huge tank to roll over the edge, and tumble towards the Geze! The rolling sund alerted Gemon, who quickly turned in that direction... and yelped in surprise and fear as he saw the massive tank rolling towards him! In a moment of panic, he pushed his thrusters away from the Zeta Gundam and barely managed to get away in time, but the rolling tank still managed to nick the Geze in the side and push it to the ground with a loud noise! Nodding to himself, Judau quicly climbed down the cliff and ran for the still-downed Zeta Gundam, managing to reach it and climb to the cockpit, just as Fa sighed in relief and opened up the hatch.

"Hey, are you alright?" Judau asked the Chinese girl, who was keeping a white handkerchief pressed to the wound in her forehead, and was holding her helmet with her free arm. Fa nodded, thanking Judau for the timely rescue.

"I am... thank you! I don't know what got into me... I tried to pilot the Zeta Gundam and I got more than I bargained for." she admitted. "Guess I'll have a lot of explaining to do to Emma and Captain Bright, huh?"

"Never mind about it... I'll take over for you now!" Judau said, smiling in reassurance. Fa smiled back, and gave a thumbs-up to Judau before running away looking for a safe place... and as Judau sat back in the Zeta Gundam's cockpit and pulled the mighty Mobile Suit upright again, Gemon had recovered from his earlier surprise and was now looking for revenge!

"Aaaaargh!" he raged. "Who did that? Who interrupted me when I was just about to win?"

A screen popped up on the Geze's console, showing Judau's cheekily smiling face. "Hello, old man! Long time no see, huh?" he greeted, making sure to be as annoying as possible!

Gemon fell for the bait. "Ugh, you're that kid from before!" he exclaimed angrily. "Alright then... I'll give you the what-for now!"

With unexpected speed, the Geze charged the Zeta Gundam, bringing all of its four arms to bear, but Judau managed to react in time and parried the mighty blow... only to see the pincered arms dart towards him and grab the Zeta Gundam's arm.

"Ugh..." Judau grunted, trying to pull the arm away from the Geze's grip. The armor on the limb was showing some damage already... "Dammit, that piece of junk is stronger than I thought!"

"Heh, what did you think? My Geze doesn't have four arms just because it looks cool!" Gemon taunted, his confidence returning full force. "And now... prepare to be defeated, Zeta Gundam!"

Judau grit his teeth and began pushing the Geze back. "Don't make me laugh! There is no way the Zeta Gundam will lose to such a Mobile Suit!" he stated, trying to give all the available power to the engines. As the two Mobile Suits seemed to be stuck in a stalemate, Judau frowned... and a strange voice, belonging to a boy only a few years older than him, reverberated in his mind like a distant echo, causing him to jump up in surprise.

"_You are the only one who can draw out the Zeta Gundam's true power, Judau..._"

"Huh? What? Who's there?" Judau exclaimed, but saw nobody aside from himself in the cockpit. Still, for some reason, he felt like he could trust that voice... as if he was listening to a trusted friend who was worried about his well-being. And he didn't exactly have time to ponder about what he had just heard. So, he decided to just go with the flow... and trust himself! "Okay then... if I am the one who can take this baby to the limit, so be it! Take that, old geezer!"

Judau felt like a surge of energy was coursing through his body... and a second later, he broke the Geze's hold and grabbed the opponent's shoulders, before delivering a crushing kick to the Geze's midsection, leaving Gemon stunned and disbelieving. A moment later, without giving Gemon time to recover, Judau had the Zeta Gundam pull inward... and the Geze's shoulders gave with an horrific sound of ripped metal! The metal joints had proven too frail, and the four-armed Mobile Suit ended up armless in the span of a split second!

"AAAAARGH!" Gemon screamed in rage and disbelief as his crippled Geze staggered backwards, sparks and oil leaking from the working robot's arm stumps. "I... I can't believe this! How is it possible that my Geze was defeated?"

In a flash, Judau picked the Zeta's beam saber and activated it, pointing it at the Geze's head, smirking in victory. "Well, it just so happens that I'm that good!" he boasted playfully. "And now... you may want to give up, what do you say to that?"

Gemon sighed, knowing when it was time to fold. "Sigh... okay, you won this, kid... how humiliating..."

Judau nodded, and glanced at the place where his friends were. He was pleased to see that Beecher, Mondo, Iino, Elle and even Fa were lined up on that cliff and were cheering him on, and he opened the Zeta Gundam's hatch to flash a thumbs-up sign to them.

"I did it, guys!"

**oooooooooo**

The battle between Emma's Gundam Mark-II and Gordon's Dreissen had been quite one-sided... aside from a gash on the right leg and a melted scar on its shield, the Gundam Mark-II was pretty much undamaged, and was easily dodging and countering the Neo Zeon Mobile Suit as it was trying to somehow keep up. An overhead slash from the Dreissen's heat axe came dangerously close to the Mark-II's head, but Emma managed to sway the attack and counter with a powerful shield bash, followed by an horizontal slash from her beam saber, leaving a large gash in the Dreissen's chest, and almost sending Gordon in a panic attack!

"Aaaargh!" Gordon screamed, dropping his axe as the Gundam Mark-II held its beam saber to the Dreissen's head. "Ugh... I knew this was going to end badly... I just knew it! But next time, you won't get so lucky!"

With the last of the Dreissen's power, Gordon pushed the engines to the limit and broke away from the Gundam Mark-II, retreating to the Endora to report the failure of the mission... Emma thought to follow him, but decided it wasn't worth the risk to expose herself to a massive attack from the Endora's Mobile Suits, and it was better to be content with what they had managed to do today.

"Well, at any rate, the colony is safe..." Emma stated, taking a good look at her radar. "And it seems like the Zeta Gundam is, as well... And I'm willing to bet that Judau kid has something to do with it! Heh... I kinda have the feeling this is just the start of the surprises he will be showing us..."

With a shrug, Emma began to contact the Argama to report. Even though she wasn't a Newtype, she was fairly sure that her instinct was right, and things were going to get really interesting in the next few days...

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	11. Enter ZZ Gundam

**Super Robot Taisen S Zero**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 10 - Enter ZZ Gundam!**

"Well, then... looks like we ended up here, for some reason..." Judau grumbled, taking some time off his woring schedule to sit on the hangar's floor and sigh in powerless frustration. Many things had happened eversince the Argama had first landed in Shangri-La, and the repairs had been going smoothly... and in the end, him and his gang had reluctantly accepted to join the skeleton crew of the Argama and start working as mechanics and part-time pilots. The pay was good, after all, and once the ship had completed its mission and dropped them off back at Shangri-La, Judau would have had more than enough money to pay for his sister's education up until college.

At the moment, the Argama was heading to a space station known as La Vie En Rose, where it was going to finish being repaired and it was going to embark a few new Mobile Suits. This was going to be good in Judau's book, as it would give the ship a much better chance of surviving the attacks from the relentless Neo Zeon forces... but as far as Judau was concerned, as long as he got paid and his sister and friends were out of harm's way, he didn't really care about the rest.

"Well, I'll just do what I can for the moment, and then I'll go back to Shangri-La and pretend this whole mess never happened..." he murmured, casting a glance at his side. Beecher and Mondo were standing there, eating what looked like dried meat and rations with a disgusted expression on their faces. For her part, Elle was busying herself with checking a few mechanical joints on the Methuss, with Leina watching intently, and Iino was doing a few check on a list of parts and Mobile Suit accessories. In other words, they were pretty much doing the same kind of job they used to do back at home, only harder.

Judau was about to stand up and resume working on the Zeta Gundam, when Emma Sheen entered the hangar, waving at the ragtag bunch of street urchins before they could stand and salute her - not that Beecher and Mondo were going to do it anyway. "At ease, kids... I was just going to take a look and see how the work is doing. Do you require anything?" she asked.

"Yeah. A nice vacation." Beecher snarked, earning himself a glare from Elle.

"Work is going smoothly, Lt. Sheen." the blonde girl answered, tying her hair in her usual ponytail. "But since we're a little short on supplies, we are doing what we can to repair the damage. And the fight with that strange Mobile Suit at Shangri-La did a number on the Methuss."

Emma nodded in understanding. Sadly, as much as she tried to give it her all, Fa wasn't much of a pilot, and it was not unusual for her Methuss to end up in bad shape after a particularly rough fight. "Yeah, I can see that. Anyway, we're soon going to get to La Vie En Rose, and we will be able to get more supplies and equipment there. Hopefully that will make your work a little easier."

"I'm glad to know that, Lt. Sheen!" Leina answered merrily. Judau stood up and stretched the kinks out of himself, before walking up to his younger sister and gamely ruffling her curly hair.

"Lt. Sheen, I don't mean to sound cheeky or anything... but I'd like to remind you that we won't be doing any more work than is necessary." he felt the need to remind her of their agreement with Captain Bright Noah, which they had worked out before the Argama had left Shangri-La. "Therefore, we'll be doing the repairs on the ship and Mobile Suits, and I'll pilot the Zeta Gundam for you, but that's the extent of it. As soon as this litte trip is over, we're going back to Shangri-La, and that will be it."

"Of course. We need your help for now, but as soon as we get a few replacement pilots, we'll be able to send you back to your home colony." Emma answered. "I just hope Neo-Zeon won't be breathing on our necks anytime soon."

At the mention of Neo-Zeon, Beecher stood up and yawned in a bored way, before beginning to walk away from the hangar. "Meh, as long as we get our asses out of here in one piece, I don't care about the rest. Now, guys... if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the toilet! I need to take a piss, and badly!"

"Yeah, me too!" Mondo answered, standing up as well and walking right behind Beecher. Emma sighed as she watched the two street urchins walk away - she wasn't expecting those two to behave like trainer personnel, but still, their attitude was enough to raise a few eyebrows. She just hoped they wouldn't do something stupid...

"Alright, kids... I'll be sure to tell you when we're about to deck at La Vie En Rose." she said. "I think you'll be able to take a break while we're there."

Judau saluted, somewhat half-heartedly. "Fine... Thanks anyway, Lt. Sheen. And thanks for letting my sister on board along with us."

Emma smiled and shrugged. "Hey, couldn't have a girl her age stay home alone while her brother and friends are in space working for her as well. And Leina here asked if she could come as well. I know it isn't exactly part of the military protocol, but as it is, we're not sticklers for rules, and we figured we might as well let her onboard." she explained.

Leina smiled and saluted as well. "Still, thank you very much on my part as well, Lt. Sheen. I'm glad I could join my brother and his friends here!"

"Well then... let's see to it that we finish up this thing before we get to our destination..." Elle commented, going back to working on the Methuss...

oooooooooo

However, as they wandered the corridors of the Argama, apparently looking for a restroom, Beecher and Mondo were entertaining a few unsettling thoughts...

"Meh. Just as I thought, we're not cut out for life onboarda military vessel." Mondo grumbled. "Not only do we have to work like ants on these mechanical gizmos, but we also have to eat this yucky grub!"

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Beecher answered. "I'm sick of working here already... but I'm not going to bail out without getting something in return."

Mondo smiled cunningly, believing he had figured out what his best friend was suggesting to do. "Hmm, interesting! You wanna call someone to pick us up, and steal a Mobile Suit to sell for cash in the meanwhile?"

"I'm going to do even better than that, pal!" Beecher said with a smirk. "Just imagine if we were to sell the Argama itself to Neo-Zeon! Their leaders will surely reward us nicely... and they'll allow us to go back to Shangri-La without Judau, or any of us really, having to stick our necks out for the adults!" He stopped at a fork and motioned for Mondo to follow him. "All we have to do is set up a communication, and send a signal for a Neo-Zeon battleship to give them the position of the Argama, and it will be over in a snap! Now... just follow me!"

"Hehee, your ideas are always top notch, Beecher!" Mondo stated, his friend motioning for him to be silent as they made their way towards a communication device...

oooooooooo

For Mashmyre Cello, the Neo-Zeon officer tasked with the mission of capturing the Argama, the situation was rather embarassing. At the moment, as his Endora-class battleship was patrolling the space close to La Vie En Rose, he was busy answering the questions from a fellow Neo Zeon officer, who was grilling him about his failure to apprehend the AEUG battleship, and his recent defeats at the hands of the Argama pilots.

"So, Officer Mashmyre Cello... could you explain the reasons why you failed to capture the Argama?" Officer Kyara Soon asked. Facing Mashmyre was an odd-looking young woman with long curly hair that was a bright red on the left side of her head, and blonde on the other side, her face sultry and seductive with full ruby lips, and her custom uniform was quite revealing as well, with short red boots, a red-and-purple sleeveless uniform that was opened in front, showing a bit of cleavage, purple trousers and elbow-length gloves. The most unusual thing about her, though, was the fact that she was carrying a microphone and a recorder, and two members to the Endora crew were standing close, holding a couple of professional cameras and filming equipment. It seemed that Kyara was fancying herself some sort of reporter, and was questioning Mashmyre as if she was doing an interview.

Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, Mashmyre cleared his throat and tried to answer. "Well, Ms. Kyara Soon... I didn't exactly fail to capture her." he answered. "I simply forced her to go out into space. After all, I did think it would have been a bad idea to keep fighting in the colony. If accidents happened, it would have damaged Neo-Zeon's reputation with the colonies."

Kyara chuckled and brought the microphone close to her own mouth. "That seems to be a convincing answer, except for one thing." she stated. "If that was your intention, how is it that now you are looking for the Argama?"

Mashmyre saw Kyara tipping her microphone over to him... and found himself at a loss for words! Taking that as an admission of failure, Kyara nodded to herself and tipped the microphone over back to herself, before turning to face the cameras. "As you can plainly see, Lady Haman, Commander Mashmyre Cello is admitting his mistake. This is reporter Kyara Soon from the Endora. Back to studio."

"MISTAKE, MY RIGHT FOOT!" Mashmyre yelled, frantically snatching the microphone out of Kyara's hands and trying to explain himself better. "My battleship can perform better in space, after all! This is all part of a premeditated strategy, Lady Haman!"

"I already turned the mic off." Kyara deadpanned. Mashmyre sighed and dropped the microphone on the floor in dismay.

However, before any of the two could say anything else, Mashmyre's second-in-command Gordon walked in, coming from a sliding door on the other side of the room. "Commander Mashmyre, Sergeant Kyara Soon... I apologize for the intrusion, but our instruments have picked up a very powerful electrical signature!" he stated, drawing the interest of both his superior and the dual-haired young woman.

"What?" Mashmyre asked. "Are you sure about that, Gordon? Do you think it might be the Argama?"

"That's the only explanation I can come up with." the larger man answered. "However, that doesn't make a lot of sense. If it really was the Argama, well... that would be like they put up a neon sign pointing to them. In other words, it's the last thing they would want to do."

Mashmyre smiled cunningly. "Hah! The explanation might be simpler than you think, Gordon!" he stated triumphantly. "This just means that there could be someone, among the Argama crew, who decided to defect to Neo-Zeon and is now trying to help us find them! Which means that our efforts to win over the favour of Shangri-La's inhabitants have paid off!" He cleared his throat before addressing Kyara again. "Well, that is what I was planning to do all along, as you can see, Sgt. Kyara Soon. This is what Lady Haman wanted us to do, after all. To enlarge the sphere of alliances for Neo-Zeon, ZAFT and Giganos Empire."

Kyara sighed, unconvinced, but that did not put a damper on the rest of the Endora crew's enthusiasm, and Gordon nodded to his superiors. "Very well then, Commander... I will immediately inform the pilots to get ready for sortie." he stated.

"Have my Hamma-Hamma prepared as well. I am pretty sure we will have to face the Zeta Gundam as well, and I wouldn't dislike the idea of trying out our new prototype!" Mashmyre answered, as the Endora quickly began following the argama's signature...

"Well, if those Neo-Zeon guys don't pick this up, they're blind as bats." Beecher stated as soon as he and Mondo, well hidden in a communication room, had finished trasmitting another message, in the hopes that the Endora could pick it up and locate the Argama. The two boys were about to walk away... when they were startled by the door behind them sliding open and letting somebody else in! Believing they had bee found out, they yelped in fear and turned around... only to see that it was just Iino, who seemed to have wandered off on his own for some reason. Either way, the look on his face was not exactly what one would have considered relaxed, and he seemed pretty concerned about Beecher and Mondo being in a communication room.

"What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be back at work now?" the meek-looking boy asked.

"I... It was just you, Iino! Man, we were about to have an heart attack..." Mondo answered breathlessly. He quickly got his confidence back and cleared his throat just as Iino walked into the room, the automatic door closing behind him with a dull hiss. "Well, we have good news! Soon enough, we will be able to leave this ship, and return to our everyday life!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Iino asked, having a strange suspicion about the whole mess...

Beecher smirked slightly and rubbed his nose with a finger. "That's right! We just sent a message, in the hopes that the Neo-Zeon battleship will be able to pick it up and find us! They will surely be grateful, if we allow them to capture this ship!"

Iino's eyes widened in horror. "What the...? Are you two out of your minds? You are actually drawing the enemy here?" he asked, in a louder voice than he probably meant to.

Beecher was quick to cover Iino's mouth before anyone could hear. "Ssssh! You don't have to tell this to the entire ship, you idiot!" he exclaimed. "Anyway... yes, we just did that, so what? It's not like we owe these adults anything, and I for one am not gonna sit here and let myself become an underpaid worker! We're getting Neo-Zeon's reward for helping them catch the Argama, and after that, we go back to Shangri-La and resume our everyday life!"

"And you haven't thought of the consequences of what you're doing?" Iino fired back, shocking Beecher and Mondo somewhat. Iino had always been a meek kind of person, who typically went along with the group's decision, so actually seeing him object to his friends' ideas was quite strange to them. "As soon as the Neo-Zeon battleship shows up, who do you think is going to go out in the Zeta Gundam to try and defend it? That's right, Judau... and he's going to risk his life in order for the Argama to make it out in one piece! Haven't you thought of that?"

Beecher and Mondo were silent at this. It was true. They hadn't thought this far... and now they were beginning to have second thoughts about what they had done. But they didn't have the chance to do anything about it, before the sound of the alarm reverberated in the Argama's corridors, confirming that the worst had already happened - Neo-Zeon had picked up the Argama's electrical signature, and the Endora was approaching!

"_Warning. Enemy units detected in the proximities. Several Neo-Zeon and Gigans Empire units are approaching the Argama._" Captain Bright Noah's voice called from the speakers. "_To all pilots, please take positions and prepare to sortie. This is not a drill._"

"Oh... crap..." Beecher mouthed. "I'm afraid we've really fucked up this time..."

Preparations had been done in a flash, and soon enough, the few pilots available to the Argama - that is, Judau, Emma and Fa - were onboard their respective Mobile Suits, and ready to launch. Leina and Elle were looking at them for the bridge of the Argama, silently wishing good luck to all of them, and to Judau in particular. The Shangri-La youth, for his part, was busy making the final check, and was relieved to see that the Zeta Gundam's systems were working at full power. In his first combat in outer space, he was going to need all the help he could get.

"_Judau, this is Lt. Emma Sheen._" Emma's voice was heard, coming from the Gundam Mk-2. "_This is going to be your first battle in space. I'm afraid the time came before either of us wanted it... are you feeling nervous?_"

"If I have to be frank here... yeah, a little." Judau admitted, seeing no point in hiding how he truly felt.

"_That's good. Just use that fear to keep your wits in combat, and you stand a good chance of surviving._" Emma advised him. "_Still, remember that space combat is very different from ground combat. You will now be fighting in a tridimensional environment in which there is no gravity, and your enemies will have an easier time catching you from all directions. Be very careful, and try to keep sharp. Use all the cover you can, and take care of attacks from above and below._"

"Thanks, Lt. Emma. I'll remember that." Judau said. As much as he liked to say that hehad no use for adults, he appreciated the fact that this woman was actually concerned about him and trying to give sound advice. Hard to imagine she had been a part of the Titans...

"_Judau, Lt. Sheen, Private Yuiri._" Bright's voice stated. "_The enemy is within attacking distance. We have recognized several Neo-Zeon Mobile Suits, one of them being an unknown model, and Giganos Metal Armors. Do your best to take them out._"

"Acknowledge, Captain Bright!" Judau answered, as Emme and Fa gave their own affirmatives as well. "Judau Ashta, Zeta Gundam, I'm going out! That's what I'm supposed to say, right?"

"_Well... yes, something along those lines._" Bright answered. "_Alright, good luck out there!_"

The catapults activated, and Judau, Emma and Fa felt themselves pushed against their own seats as their Mobile Suits were launched in outer space, facing a small but intimidating army of Mobile Suits and Metal Armors, led by Gordon's Dreissen... and by a strange green Mobile Sit Judau had never seen before: much sleeker and more polished, it sported several thrusters on its shoulders and waist, and its relatively small head had four pointed extentions that looked like a crest of spikes running along the midst of its head, while the arms were incredibly thin, and divided in several sections, each one of them linked to the others by a bunch of extensible cables. On the palm of each of its clawed, three-fingered hands, was a three-barreled gun, and overall, the new model looked like it was more dangerous than the plain vannilla units surrounding it. Judau imagined that strange Mobile Suit was the commander unit, and he was proven correct when he felt a familiar presence in the back of his mind, just as Emma and Fa were beginning to fend off the attackers.

"_Well, well... if it isn't Judau!_" Mashmyre Cello greeted the Shangri-La boy from the cockpit of the green Mobile Suit. "_It has been a while since we last met, and now I'm going to hand you back the humiliation you gave me back at Shangri-La! All units, scatter and take care of the Gundam Mk-2 and the Methuss! I will face the Zeta Gundam with my Hamma-Hamma!_"

"Oh, I remember you... You're that guy I fought when the Argama arrived in Shangri-La!" Judau greeted back. "So, you still wanna do this one-on-one, huh? Fine by me! I'm going to win again!"

"_I wouldn't be so confident if I were you, Judau Ashta._" Mashmyre answered, his Hamma-Hamma's arm suddenly increasing in length as he pointed the three-barreled gun towards the Zeta Gundam. "_I was going easy on you back at Shangri-La, but as you're going to see... you're not going to enjoy this advantage here._"

"Is that so, prettyboy?" Judau fired back. "Then let me show what I'm made of! Take this!"

With a quick movement, Judau drew his beam rifle and fired a few shots... but the unexpectedly agile Hamma-Hamma quickly dodged by going up and right, the red beams missing him by a long distance. Then, the green Mobile Suit's elongated arms fired a beam back at the Zeta, grazing its shoulder and giving off a shower of sparks! With an annoyed grunt, Judau hung back and tried to fire again, but once again, Mashmyre was able to dodge the attack.

"Dammit... you're fast! I can't even get one hit on you!" Judau exclaimed, annoyed at the fact that his own movements were sluggish and somewhat awkward for some reason. Maybe that was what Emma was trying to warn him against... he was not used to battles in space, while his opponent had a lot more experience.

"_This is but the first advantage I have on you now._" Mashmymre explained confidently. "_Not only is my Hamma-Hamma faster than most Mobile Suits, but I can see that this is the first space battle for you. And adjusting to the new environment is one of the most difficult things to do, for a beginner._"

Judau smirked back at him. "Is that so? Well, this hindrance is easy to overcome for a young man like me and my reflexes! After all, young people are at an advantage, since their reflexes are better!" he said.

"Hey! I happen to be a young man as well! I am eighteen, for your information!" Mashmyre snapped, a vein popping up on his forehead. The Hamma-Hamma dashed to attack again, showing a much more aggressive behaviour than what Judau remembered from their battle in Shangri-La.

"I'll just have to move the same way you do!" Judau exclaimed, trying to fire again. However, Mashmyre dodged again and slammed into the Zeta Gundam with all the strength of his new Mobile Suit, and the younger boy was thrown around in the cockpit with a pained grunt. The Hamma-Hamma pressed the attack, delivering a punishing kick to the midsection of the sleek Gundam and slamming it against a nearby chunk of rock.

"_And the second advantage... is that while in Shangri-La I had to take care not to damage civilian premises, there is nothing I have to worry about not destroying here. Which means, I can actually go all-out on you._" Mashmyre said. The Zeta Gundam drew an arm back and punched the Hamma-Hamma in the head, forcing the green Mobile Suit to retreat slightly, and Judau tried to take advantage of that momentary respite to aim another shot from the Zeta Gundam's beam rifle... but his opponent recovered faster than Judau had anticipated, and shot out his extendable arm once again, firing a beam from the palm-mounted barreled guns. His aim was impeccable, and the Zeta Gundam's beam rifle was hit and literally exploded in the Mobile Suit's hands, damaging the arms and causing Judau to flinch slightly.

"Oh, no... this is bad! The Zeta Gundam's beam rifle has been destroyed!" Iino exclaimed as he watched the battle from the Argama' main bridge. "And both Fa and Lt. Emma are busy taking care of all the other enemies!"

"Big brother, be careful!" Leina exclaimed in worry.

Elle was not saying anything, but she was silently praying for Judau to get out of this predicament alive... and unknown to all of them, Beecher and Mondo were feeling horribly guilty about leading Neo-Zeon to their position. It was their fault that Judau was in trouble now... and now they wished they could do something to bail him out.

"Dammit... what are we going to do, Beecher?" Mondo whispered to his friend.

Emma and Fa had their hands full trying to hold off several Mobile Suits and Metal Armors that were trying to swarm the Argama, weaving in and out of a field of asteroids and firing whenever one of the opponents got too close. Emma, true to her fame as one of the best pilots of the Earth Union, had managed to score a few kills already... and even Fa, in spite of the subpar Mobile Suit she was piloting, had managed to disable a Drau Metal Armor and a Dreissen Mobile Suit... but now, her luck was running out as Gordon's Dreissen approached her and threatened her with his heat axe. With an alarmed yelp, the black-haired girl parried an overhead slash with her Methuss' small beam saber, before trying to fire her beam gun at the opponent... but Gordon managed to smack the Methuss' arm just in time before he got hit, and Fa quickly found herself with her back against the wall... or rather, against the wall of a large chunk of space debris floating in the vicinities. Fa grit her teeth in fear as she saw her opponent heave his large heat axe, and getting ready to bury it in her Mobile Suit...

"_Heh, not bad at all, girl!_" Gordon smirked. "_But not good enough, I'm afraid!_"

"Fa!" Emma exclaimed, trying to come at her friend's aid. However, a Giganos Gebaye stood in her way, targetting her with his gatling gun, and a Dreissen approached her Gundam Mk-2 to blindside her. With an annoyed grunt, Emma was forced to fall back as Gordon prepared to score the telling blow against Fa, and the Chinese girl squeezed her eyes shut as she prepared for the end...

But the end never came. Suddenly, a beam came right out of nowhere to hit Gordon's Dreissen in the shoulder, blowing off the arm and causing him to drop the axe! Surprised and startled, the Neo-Zeon officer turned in that direction, only to see an unidentified unit, yet one that seemed to be reminescent of a bulkier version of the Zeta Gundam's Waverider Mode, approaching quickly!

"What?" Gordon exclaimed. "This was not part of the plan! Where does that thing come from?"

oooooooooo

"Captain, an unidentified unit has appeared and is attacking the Neo-Zeon and Giganos units as we speak!" a bridge operator told the Argama's captain, while the startled Shangri-La team turned their full attention to the newcomer. "It is hailing us at the moment!"

"Patch it through." Bright answered, rushing at is captain's chair in order to receive the communication. A few second later, a sound of static came from the speakers before the connection finally stabilized, and a strong female voice was heard from the cockpit of the unknown fighter.

"_Argama crew, please respond._" she said. "_Argama crew, I am Roux Louka, test pilot for the AEUG. I have come from La Vie En Rose in order to deliver a new Gundam model to you. I require assistance._"

"The ZZ Gundam?" Elle asked out loud. "Is that it? Kinda looks like a dummied out version of the Zeta..."

Bright nodded. "Pilot Louka, can you help us? We are currently fighting a losing battle against a group of Neo-Zeon and Giganos Empire machines."

"_I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help here._" the girl answered. "_I am unused to piloting the ZZ Gundam in Mobile Suit mode. I suggest splitting the ZZ in two units instead, and fight the enemy that way. Please, get a pilot ready for departure right now!_"

"No problem." Bright nodded. A moment later, the captain was startled when Iino stepped forward to volunteer!

"Please, Captain Bright... allow me to do this!" the seemingly timid young man said, already clad in a normal suit. However, Beecher stepped up and held Iino back by the shoulder, trying to get him not to go out.

"Iino, you're not up to this! Let me do it... I'll do my best for you as well!" the red-haired young man stated, before turning to address the rest of the Shangri-La gang. "Please, trust me on this one, guys. This is something I have to do myself!"

"In that case, well... all we can say is, good luck, Beecher." Elle stated, clearly worried for both him and Judau.

Leina nodded. "Please, Beecher... save my big brother!"

The eldest of the Shangri-La kids gave a thumbs-up before heading to the hangar, with Mondo following right after him... but Beecher turned in hisdirection and told him to stay put, and that he would take care of this. "You too, Mondo. Stay with the rest of the gang. I will do my best for you as well!"

"Okay, Beecher... take care, though!" Mondo said, reluctantly going back to the rest of their friends.

oooooooooo

The battle was going badly. With Emma and Fa being outnumbered, and barely holding their own against the Neo-Zeon and Giganos units, Judau had to rely on himself only to fight Mashmyre's Hamma-Hamma... and the young Neo-Zeon commander was showing just how much more skilled than Judau he was in a space battle. The Zeta Gundam's beam saber slashed only thin air as the Hamma-Hamma dodged a top-down thrust and kicked the sleek Gundam in the midsection, before slamming it on the face of a large piece of stony debris and begin pummeling it with its fists. In the Zeta Gundam's cockpit, Judau was being violently thrown around, grunting in pain with every blow, and was finding himself unable to fight back. If only he had his beam rifle, and he had managed to get some distance from the Hamma-Hamma, maybe he would have a chance, but this situation was beyond his control.

One last punch caused the Zeta Gundam to crash into an asteroid's surface, and Mashmyre let out an enthusistic yell as he prepared to deal the final blow. "Hahaaa! I've finally done it! I've defeated the Zeta Gundam!" he exclaimed. "Have you seen that, my beloved Lady Haman? And now... now for the finishing blow!"

Mashmyre sent out his Hamma-Hamma's extendable arms, ready to fire his palm-mounted lasers, but a couple of laser beams from the side caused him to misfire and hastily turn in that direction, only to see an unknown vehicle approach at high speed, firing red lasers at him and forcing him to retreat with a frustrated grunt.

"What? They're trying to fight us off with that fighter plane?" he asked himself. "Ugh, and at such a moment too... everyone, I need some units to take care of that unknown unit! Shoot it down fast!"

As soon as the order was issued, a few Mobile Suits and Metal Armors detached themselves from the rest of their team, and began attacking the fighter plane piloted by Roux, who did a quick swerve and managed to dodge the blows... but her experience as a pilot quickly allowed her to realize that the crossfire was so thick, she couldn't expect to dodge for long. "Beecher, I am having trouble dodging all these attacks. Quickly, recover the pilot of the Zeta Gundam!" she ordered.

A smaller fighter detached from Roux's units, with Beecher at the controls, and the eldest of the Shangri-La gang flew towards the downed Zeta Gundam, keeping his fingers crossed. "Will do! Just try to hold out a little more!" he said, before sighing sadly. "I just hope you're still fine, Judau... 'cause if you aren't... I'll have to become a monk to atone for my sins! Judau! Judau, can you hear me?"

There was a sound of static for a while, and Beecher was beginning to sweat... but finally, a clear voice, obviously belonging to Judau, finally broke through the disturbance, delivering very clearly just how much the young man was disappointed with his loss.

"Darn... I lost..." he muttered.

Needless to say, Beecher felt elated at this. "Judau! Oh, thank goodness you're still alive!" he exclaimed.

"Well, duh, Beecher!" Judau answered. "Now, what's the plan?"

Beecher's fighter stopped close to the Zeta Gundam, whose hatch opened up to reveal a rather disgruntled but still mostly unharmed Judau. "Well, why don't you come and see for yourself? We've got a new Gundam to play with!"

oooooooooo

Emma blocked a slash from a Gebaye that had gotten too close and slammed her Gundam Mk-2's shield in the opponent's face, before skewering the Metal Armor with her beam saber and quickly dodging as a group of Dreissen targetted her with their beam guns. The former Titan officer hid behind a large piece of scrap metal and loaded a few ammunitions in her beam rifle, before coming out to return fire... and just then, her radar blinked, revealing Beecher's fighter flying back to Roux's main unit. The AEUG trainee was having more and more trouble holding her own, as enemies from all sides started to overwhelm her, and Mashmyre himself tried to destroy her unit before it was too late... but for now, Roux was managing just fine, and had even managed to down a couple enemies.

"Good news, everyone. Looks like our favourite bunch of troublemakers have done it again." Emma stated with a small smile. Before the Neo-Zeon and Giganos units could move to intercept them, Beecher and Judau approached Roux's unit, preparing to dock back with her.

"Cool! So this is the new model? And it's actually a new Gundam?" Judau asked, admiring Roux's skill in dodging all those attacks.

Beecher nodded. "Well, I don't really know the details yet, but it seems so."

"Hey, you two! Quit dilly-dallying!" Roux called them out. "I can barely dodge enemy fire as it is! Come and dock with me right away!"

"Alright!" Judau answered, and the two fighter units soon joined back into a single one, with a deafening clang of metal upon metal. "So, now we're ready to form the new Gundam, right?"

The girl nodded. "Exactly... the ZZ Gundam, to be correct. Your name is Judau, right? Now, you just have to pull the red lever on your console, and the rest should be easy." Roux instructed him. "And don't worry about your friend, him and I can stay on board the ZZ while you pilot."

"Alright!" Judau asked. His eyes quickly scanned his console and soon found the red lever Roux had spoken of, so he quickly pulled it down... and the combined fighter plane switched form, transforming into a bulky, heavy-looking white-and-blue Gundam with a large red shield mounted on its forearm, and a couple of barrel-like cannons placed upon its back, as well as a double-barreled beam gun mounted on its right forearm. It looked just as strong and heavy as the Zeta Gundam looked sleek and agile, and in fact on would probably have considered a natural evolution of the Zeta! Still, the trademark mouthpiece and golden V-shaped antenna were still in place. There was no doubt about it... this was the new Gundam model created by Anaheim Electronics, the ZZ Gundam!

"Wh... What?" Mashmyre exclaimed in dismay, just as his men began retreating at the sight of the mighty Gundam. But Mashmyre was not the kind of person who gave up so easily, and quickly aimed his palm-mounted guns at the ZZ. "The ZZ Gundam, huh? Well, it won't help you if I destroy you before you even take a step!"

The gun fired, and the ZZ Gundam was too close to dodge... but the golden bean struc an invisible barrier around the Gundam and dissipated harmlessly, leaving Mashmyre to gape in dismay. "What the... It is armed with an anti-beam barrier?"

"Heh. It appears so, Mashmyre! And now... with your permission, it's my turn now!" Judau answered. He quickly lifted the ZZ's right arm and fired his double-barreled gun, a red beam of solid destruction erupting from the weapon and striking the Hamma-Hamma in the shoulder and in the chest! Mashmyre screamed in rage and incredulity as he was flung back from the force of the blow, all of his systems showing bright red damage alarms!

"Aaaaargh!" he screamed. "No way... this can't be true! Darn, and here I was so close to getting rid of the Zeta Gundam... everyone, retreat! The day is lost!"

Gordon, who was still facing Fa's Methuss and was now finding himself a bit at a disadvantage, widened his eyes as his commander gave order to retreat. And here he thought they had this is the bag, this once... it was not going to go down well with Lady Haman! "Commander Mashmyre! Ugh... this is bad! Haven't you heard, everyone? Retreat immediately to the Endora! We'll have better chances later!"

Finally, all the surviving Neo-Zeon and Giganos units broke up the fight and followed Gordon's Dreissen and Mashmyre's heavily damaged Hamma-Hamma back to their mothership, and the crew of the Argama could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Especially Fa, whose Methuss was once again left pretty beat up...

"Phew... this one was a little too close for confort!" the Chinese girl breathed out. "Luckily they've sent that new model from La Vie En Rose... but what is that, Lt. Emma? That looks like a brand new Gundam, though I can see the resemblances with the Zeta."

"The ZZ Gundam, huh?" Emma said, pleased with the last-minute save. "Well, I certainly won't complain about it. We'll need all the help we can get, right now."

In the ZZ Gundam's cockpit, Judau felt the rush of adrenaline simmer down, and looked with approval at the still-extended arm of the latest Gundam model. "Heh... well, what do you know. I'm really liking this ZZ Gundam now!"

oooooooooo

Back in the Argama's hangars, Judau soon found himself being grabbed in a tight embrace by a very worried and relieved Leina, just as Beecher and Roux were dismounting the ZZ Gundam, and Astonage's crew was getting ready to work on repairing the Zeta Gundam. "Ah! Hey, Leina! I know you're glad I'm back and still in one piece, but... c'mon, no need to be like that!"

"Hehehee... guess that's to be expected, Judau!" Elle smirked, giving a wink to her friend. "You aren't the only one who's allowed to have a sibling complex, after all!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Judau and Leina asked back at her, to which Elle giggled and waved them off.

"Kidding. I'm just kidding." she answered. Then, as she walked close to the ZZ, she took a good look at the large Mobile Suit. "Hmm, so this is the ZZ Gundam, huh? Looks like quite an improvement over the Zeta!"

"You can say that, blondie." Roux answered, somewhat haughtily, as she took her space helmet off and allowed everyone to see her face. Roux was very tall, with an height of almost six feet, and beautiful, even though she didn't look any older than sixteen. Long and shiny light purple hair flowed elegantly down her back, with similarly colored eyes set in a cute face with a slightly uppity expression. Her spacesuit was a deep blue, with a five-pointed golden star on a pair of red trails drawn on the chest. "The ZZ Gundam is a transformable Mobile Suit, capable of becoming the Mobile Armor G-Fortress, who can separate into two flight-capable components. It has several powerful beam weapons, as well as a couple of beam sabers, a missile launcher installed on the backpack, and the Hi-Mega Cannon on the forehead. However, it neds tobe said that it eats through its energy reserves quite quickly, and it's structurally more fragile than the Zeta, so care must be taken when piloting it."

"Still, it sounds like an excellent Mobile Suit." Fa commented, walking up close to take a look at the new weapon, who was now standing tall in the hangars. "And... thanks again for bailing us out, Pilot Louka. We were having an hard time out there."

"No problem." Roux shrugged nonchalantly. "Though I am quite curious to know how did that Neo-Zeon battleship know where the Argama was."

Beecher and Mondo sheepishly looked at each other... before the red-haired young man gulped and stepped forward. "Well, about that... Mondo and I have a little confession to make..." he started. When everyone turned to them, Beecher cleared his throat and began to explain just what they had done...

"And that's pretty much it..." Beecher said, before falling silent and preparing himself to get lambasted by the rest of the team. There was a deafening silence for a few seconds, and the duo of turncoat wannabes was beginning to sweat...

"Well, aren't you a fine pair of jerks?" Roux commented. "Though... at least the fact that you went back on your decision and risked your hide to save your friend suggests that we should be a little more lenient on you."

"To be exact, we should tell Captain Bright about this, and have you two thrown out of the airlock..." Emma said calmly. "But... I think we should let Judau be the judge here."

"I think these two scoundrels deserve to be taught a lesson." was Leina's opinion.

"You're absolutely right, little sis." Judau said, nodding to himself as he approached Beecher and Mondo... and lightly clapped his hand on the red-haired boy's shoulder. "Therefore, my decision is... to forgive these two."

Beecher and Mondo both facefaulted at that, having not expected this out of their friend. "Wha...? Hey, Judau... are you really fine with that? I... I mean, are you sure you really want to let it go... and..."

"Oh, you know how I am." Judau answered, showing his trademark toothy grin. "I am not the kind of person who holds grudges, so I am willing to overlook your little... prank! Of course, I am only speaking for myself here..."

The two accused couldn't even breathe a sigh of relief before wondering what their fate would be in that case... and soon after, Astonage approached them and handed them a bucket and a broom each! "Huh... what do you... Hey! What's the matter with you? And what's the meaning of these things here?" Mondo demanded to know.

"Isn't it obvious? You're on toilet duty from now on." Fa answered with a sweet smile. "Of course, we still expect you to do a good job!"

"And if you try to use that as an excuse to peep on the girls... I'll personally make sure you two won't be able to have children ever!" Roux stated, smiling sweetly as well.

"We approve!" Elle answered.

Mondo and Beecher could do nothing but sigh in resignation as the rest of the crew began laughing out loud at their expense. "Ugh... guess we did bring this upon ourselves after all..." Beecher murmured.

"I did try to warn you this was a bad idea." Iino reminded them, as Beecher and Mondo began making their way to the ship's restrooms...

oooooooooo

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the introduction of ZZ Gundam to this mega crossover! Next time, on Super Robot Taisen S Zero, we'll take a look at the Super Robot side of things, and we'll make our acquaintance with several new friends - do the words Dendoh, Zambot and Gravion ring any bells? ^_^**

**See you soon!**


	12. The Heralds of Judgement

**Super Robot Taisen S Zero**

**oooooooooo**

**Chapter 12 - The Heralds of Judgement**

Deep in the darkness of space, as humanity continues fighting their wars amongst themselves or the various invaders holding Earth under siege, something had begun moving before anyone could actually comprehend what was going on... vast, unknowable entities that made it their mission to watch over the continuity and integrity of the universe, and to make sure order is kept. No price is too high to pay for this end. The lives of millions of people are meaningless to these superior minds. As soon as a race is unbalancing the cosmos, they move to counter it and, if necessary, to destroy it. In other words, these creatures might be called the antibodies of the galaxy, reacting to any sort of parasite or cancer...

oooooooooo

Space Century 138. In the midst of the wars it is currently embroiled in, the Earth still continues living as it always has, for the most part. Most people, living far away from the frontlines and having no idea what kind of horrors the rank and file soldiers need to endure, simply go on living their lives as if nothing really happened. They might have heard of all the fighting going on through media, tv and radio, but most people see this war as something far away from them, a reality they will not have to be drawn into... Therefore, even as the battles rage all around them, they try to act as unconcerned as possible, hoping that the problem will end up solving itself.

But now, a new threat is looming over the people of the world... one that no human on this Earth will be able to ignore... A vast army of death machines and mindless destroyers, after a long journey through space, is about to land on Earth, and the battle for survival is about to get that much more desperate...

oooooooooo

A normal day in the outskirts of Tokyo, where a family is about to settle down in their new home...

"Hokuto, where are you? You have to move your own things!" a rather youthful-looking woman in her late thirties, with light brown hair cut in a bowl-shaped style and wearing a long red skirt along with a light blue jacket and home slippers, called to her son as she carried a bunch of small boxes inside, after unloading them from the truck parked right in front of their new living place. There was still quite a bit of work to do, but her son seemed to be nowhere in sight...

"I guess he already went off with Jupiter." her husband, a man with somewhat unruly black hair and looking glasses, who was dressed in a similarly traditional way, with a light grey shirt and long black trousers, answered while he rubbed his own shoulder. "After all, you did tell him to go do some errands for you, right?"

"Oh, geez..." the young woman murmured bitterly, a comical expression of disappointment plastered upon her face. "How is it that he always sneaks off at times like these?"

There was not much her husband could do except blink in confusion. Sometimes, his wife's quirks were too much for even him to understand...

oooooooooo

The disconfort of having to adapt to a new place aside, life was good for 11-year-old Hokuto Kusanagi as he and his faithful dog Jupiter, a beautiful canine covered in long, black-and-white fur, were running up a sloping street, heading to what looked like a large outdoor park, the cheers and laughter of children Hokuto's own age coming from it already. Having just arrived in Tokyo after a long journey, Hokuto was eager to get to know his new living place, and what better moment to do it than now, after having been cramped in the back of a truck for at least three hours? After such a long and boring journey, being able to stretch his legs and get some fresh air was just what the young boy needed.

"Phew... sure beats staying cooped up in that truck, right, Jupiter?" Hokuto said, gently scratching his dog behind one of his ears. Rather small and a little scrawny for his age, Hokuto was dressed in a light blue cardigan over a plain white shirt, with a small dark red necktie, long white trousers and brown shoes, and his brown hair was messy and combed in a myriad of 'spikes' that seemed to jut out at random angles on the front, while they were more neatly combed on the back. All in all, he looked like a normal boy his age... and yet, as he looked around and saw several kids coming and going along the same road he was walking, he couldn't help but feel like he was being an intruder of sorts. After all, he had just come to this town, and he knew nobody... he was hoping he'd get to meet someone who he could relate with, so that he could more easily fit in. Hokuto took a look at the entrance of the park, through which several children were still coming and going. Well, he thought, that could be as good a place as any to start looking for friends... so, after motioning to Jupiter to follow him with a small nod of his head, Hokuto stepped into the park, not suspecting that he was about to move his first steps into an unforgettable adventure...

oooooooooo

"Hey! What was the big idea!"

"You're standing in my place, idiot! Move so I can do my thing!"

"And this is your place... how? Last time I checked, there was no sign saying that this was private property!"

"Oh, really? Well, this just shows how dumb you are! Everybody here knows this place belongs to me!"

A small crowd of children and apprehensive parents had gathered around a scene involving two of the oldest kids in the park, who were now squaring off aggressively in front of each other, neither one willing to leave the other any ground. By taking a good look at the expressions on the improvised audience's faces, this was probably a scene they had gotten used to seeing... and yet, it still seemed to be some sort of great show, at least seeing how many people were there to cheer for either one or the other.

Of the two boys facing off, the one that was being attacked looked like a young martial artist, with his extremely short black hair on a curiously onion-shaped head, his white combat gi, red wristbands and a pair of black-and-white trainers with a red undersole. He had a small band-aid on his left cheek, and he looked quite focused and angry, whereas his opponent was just regarding him with an overconfident smirk, his hands placed behind his head.

The other boy looked just a little older, by no more than one year, and had similarly black hair, though his was longer and more messy, and he was wearing a rather worn-out light blue jacket over a red shirt, along with light blue trousers and black shoes... and most of all, he was carrying himself with a rather inflated opinion of himself, smirking at the boy in the martial art gi. Neither of them seemed to mind the crowd that had gathered around them, and in fact they weren't even sparing the crowd a glance, so engrossed they were in their personal struggle.

"I'm giving you fair warning here, Kappei Jin!" the boy with the shorter hair warned in annoyance. "You caught me in a bad mood, and I'm not interested in picking a fight with you. So you now either leave me alone to train, or I'll make you leave."

The taller boy named Kappei only smirked smugly at this. "Oh, really? Too bad, Ginga Izumo, I'm not interested in leaving you alone either. You still owe me a rematch for all the times you've defeated me!" he answered arrogantly. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

It was right then that Hokuto and Jupiter walked into the park... and the commition caught Hokuto's attention, pushing him into approaching the small crowd that had gathered around Ginga and Kappei. He took a look at the two boys glaring fiercely at each other, then blinked in confusion and turned to the closest person around... a nice-looking young girl of about twelve, with short and messy blond hair and wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with a white skirt and black shoes, in order to ask her what was going on. "Er... hello! What... what's going on there? Why are those two fighting?"

"Oh, you're a new one here, aren't you?" the girl asked back. "Nothing... this is something that happens a lot. My friend, Kappei, is once again picking a fight with the kid in the white gi... Ginga, the son of a Kempo fighter. I swear... Kappei got beaten so many times I lost count, and yet he still thinks he can take on Ginga."

Hokuto blinked in confusion. "Er... I... I think I understand..." he murmured, before turning his attention once again to the struggle between the two boys. In the end, Kappei got tired of the stalemate and took a step forward, smirking as he threw a right hook at Ginga... but the shorter boy, acting with a speed no one would probably have expected from a boy his age, dodged the blow in an almost nonchalant way, and crouched low on the ground, bringing his leg around in an arc that swept the ground and hit Kappei's right ankle. The taller boy lost his balance and staggered backwards, inelegantly flailing his arms in the air, and let out a yelp of surprise and pain as he ended up sitting on the ground, rubbing his buttocks in a rather embarassing way as the rest of the kids burst out laughing, and the blonde girl standing alongside Hokuto rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"That's the same thing every time... One would think Kappei would have learned it by now!" she said. Hokuto, for his part, widened his eyes at the display of skill on Ginga's side, as Kappei rubbed his back and glared at his opponent, who had already slipped into a fighting pose, his hands straight in front of himself and his legs evenly spread apart.

"Aaaargh! Alright already!" Kappei angrily hissed before beginning to run away. "I'll leave this time! But next time I'll be the one to defeat you, Ginga! Don't get cocky just because your mom is a martial artist, you hear me?" At that, the taller boy ran away, rubbing his still sore back as most of the children burst into more laughter, and Ginga sighed in exasperation and shook his head at his opponent's stubborness.

"Yeah... says the guy whose butt I kicked so many times already." he stated, before turning to the rest of the crowd, among which some people were alreafy clapping and cheering. "Well? What's the big deal, you guys? Nothing more to see here! Don't you have your games to play? Leave me alone and let me concentrate on my training, okay?"

Having already had their share of fun for the day, children and parents began going their own way, the crowd of onlookers dissolving in just as little time as when it had formed. The blonde girl sighed and began walking away, going in the same direction Kappei had ran away to, and briefly turned to Hokuto. "Well, I'd better be going. That hardhead Kappei will probably be working up another one of his hare-brained pranks to play on Ginga, and as always, I'm the one who needs to put a stop to this... see you around, okay?"

"Okay." Hokuto said, waving his hand at the girl. "By the way, I didn't even catch your name..."

She blinked once and shook her head, remembering that she hadn't even introduced herself. "Right, silly me... My name is Aki. I guess we'll meet again around here..." she said, before trailing off and waiting for Hokuto to tell her his name.

"My namr is Hokuto... and this is my dog, Jupiter!" the chestnut-haired boy answered, scratching Jupiter behind one of his ears. "Okay, Aki, I'll see you around!"

"Okay!" Aki answered, before turning to the exit of the park where another girl, a slightly overweight 11-year-old with long brown hair done in pigtails, wearing a light purple gilet over a yellow shirt, along with orange shorts and shoes, seemed to be waiting for her. "I'm coming, Michi! Wait for me!"

"Please, hurry up, Aki!" the girl called Michi answered. "You know how Kappei is... he's probably going to cause trouble somewhere else!"

As Aki and Michi began running after Kappei, Hokuto turned his attention back to the boy named Ginga, who was now striking a meditating pose in the midst of the clearing, and seemed to be drawing his breath. A few seconds passed, during which Hokuto and Jupiter stood in silence, observing Ginga in curiosity... and, at a moment's notice, Ginga opened his eyes and began performing a flawless kata, punching the air twice, then bringing his arms around in a spectacular counter, and advancing with a pair of fluid, powerful front kicks. He then hopped forward with another punch, and executed a spectacular-looking overhead kick, landing on his feet and striking another fighting stance, his left fist extended in front of himself. Finally, he exhaled in a deep, drawn out breath, allowing himself to relax. He placed his closed right fist on the palm of his left hand, concentrating a little more, then he went on with his exercise, executing a double spinning kick and then crouching low in a roundhouse sweep...

...only to find himself face to face with a rather angry-looking Jupiter!

A look of embarassment and fear plastered itself on Ginga's face, while the dog growled at him and barked once! With a panicked scream, Ginga backed away and began climbing the closest tree he could find, comically hanging on for dear life to one of the lowest branches while Hokuto came to convince Jupiter to back down!

"Aieeee! Keep that dog away from me!" Ginga screamed in panic, a rather funny opposite to the fearless countenance he had when staring down that bully barely one minute ago!

"Now, now, Jupiter! That's not a nice thing to do!" Hokuto scolded his dog. Jupiter calmed down, and the chestnut-haired boy glanced up at Ginga, who was still clinging to the branches of the tree and looking at him in a very embarassed way. The sight was silly enough that, after a few moments spent staring silently at each other, Hokuto covered his mouth with his hand and began chuckling!

"What's so funny, you idiot?" Ginga exclaimed, his anger fueled by his embarassment. He finally straightened himself and leapt down the tree, landing on his feet right in front of Hokuto. "And by the way, is that your dog?"

"Hehehee... sorry! Yep, he's my dog!" Hokuto cheerfully answered. "Sorry, he usually doesn't act like that. However, he must have seen your skills in martial arts, and thought you were someone suspicious."

Ginga wrinkled his nose. "What a stupid dog. No manners at all." he said, causing Hokuto to frown a little. "Whoever owns him should keep him on a tight leash and not allow him to get close to people..."

An annoyed Hokuto released his hold on Jupiter's collar, and the dog advanced threateningly on Ginga, who freaked out and speed-climbed back up the tree, to the amusement of the chestnut-haired boy! "You know, you shouldn't say those things right in front of him." Hokuto joked. "Jupiter is a little touchy about that! Heheheheee..."

"Okay! Okay already! I'm sorry!" Ginga exclaimed. "I won't say that again! Now please, call back your dog! Please!"

oooooooooo

"Hmph... what a drag..." Kappei muttered under his breath, kicking a peeble into a nearby stream of water as a means to relieve his nervousness. "I swear, one of these days, I'm going to catch that Ginga off guard, and I'll show him who's the real tough one around here!"

"Really, Kappei... you should give it a rest, you know?" Aki's voice came from behind him, and the black-haired kid rolled his eyes as he turned to her and Michi, who had reached him after a short run. "Ginga is a champion at Kempo, and with his mom as his teacher, it would take you at least ten years to catch up to him."

"Aki's right, Kappei!" Michi answered. "Besides, why do you feel the need to pick a fight with him every time you meet him? Can't you two just get along?"

"Meh. I knew you girls wouldn't understand. This is a man's business!" Kappei answered, trying to keep up appearences. "That Ginga guy needs to know that he's not hot stuff just because he knows a few Kempo moves and fancy kicks! Rest assured, I will find a few to get even with him! And then, we'll see who laughs last!"

Aki sighed. "Here we go again..."

oooooooooo

On the surface of the moon, far away from the territories claimed by the colonies and Giganos Empire...

A gigantic object was floating ominously in the vastity of space, slowly descending towards the sterile soil of the moon, surrounded by a swarm of mechanical monsters that looked like flies when compared to the size of the colossal monstrosity - it looked like a strange cross between a spinning top and a spaceship, with a pointy end that looked like a gigantic screw, and several tentacle-like appendages hung at its sides, flailing listlessly in the void as the fortress slowly lowered itself to the ground. In a few moments, the pointy end of the top-like spaceship pierced the lunar soil as if it was made in butter, and the fortress planted itself in the moon's surface with a shrieking sound of pierced rock. Then, it slowly stopped, settling on the spot it had picked to start off its dire plans for humanity...

Inside the Rasenjou's darkened main room, the master of the space fortress, a colossal, unnaturally immaculate mechanical entity with a strangely serene face and a sleek body that seemed to have been made in silvered metal, gave a look at the monitors on the walls, which cast an ominous light on the alien inhabitant of the fortress and made it look even more unsettling. With a flat, toneless mechanical voice, the computer-like overlord spoke, addressing a smaller figure bowing down at his presence.

"WE HAVE REACHED OUR DESTINATION." it spoke. "PLANET EARTH. OPERATIONS TO CLEANSE IT WILL BEGIN SHORTLY. I TRUST YOU HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED ALL THE NECESSARY PREPARATIVES, ARTHEA."

"Yes, my master. All has been prepared according to your will." the smaller, man-sized figure answered. He was certainly much smaller than the Rasenjou Master, but for a human being, he was still quite imposing: standing more than six feet tall, he was a bulky and muscular man wrapped in an impressive-looking black cape, with a black bodysuit that showed a well-toned physique, complete with round black shoulder guards, black gauntlets and black-and-red boots, which seemed to be the only concession to a different color aside from two strips of red tissue around the hips. He was wearing a featureless iron mask with just a couple openings for the eyes, and barely an hint of facial features, which only served to make him look more machine-like than ever. A large iron spike jutted out of the forehead of his mask, and he was holding a simple staff in his hands, which he was keeping laid on the ground in a sign of deference towards his master. "The Orbitons are ready to launch an attack as soon as the rest of the units are ready. Do we have any words about our allies?"

"THE GAIZOCK SHOULD BE IN POSITION AS WELL." the Rasenjou Master answered emotionlessly. "AS WELL AS THE ZERAVIRE DRONES. WE WILL BEGIN OUR OPERATIONS AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE WORD FROM THEM."

Arthea, the masked man dressed in black, nodded seriously... and a few moments later, another screen lit up on the walls of the main room, and a shrieky, histerical laughter echoed inside of it as the static quickly stabilized, showing the image of the one who was communicating with the Rasenjou. It was an hideously ugly creature, about as fat as it was tall, with warty green skin that turned pink on the foearms and hands, and it was wearing an overlarge beige dress with a purple flamelike sign drawn on its overlarge belly, along with a dark, worn-out mantle on its shoulders. An heavy iron chain was hanging around his shoulders, and his face was bloated, with a completely bald head covered in revolting growths, large pointed ears and wide purple lips concealing two rows of filthy yellow teeth, a small red gem embedded in its forehead, and a thin moustache that looked oddly out of place in such an horrid visage. Beady yellow eyes with black pupils glared at Arthea and the Rasenjou Master, expressing a childlike glee.

"_HYAAAAHAHAHAAA! You sure took your sweet time, Rasenjou Master!_" the foul creature said, his voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard in spite of its corpulent frame. "_And here I thought you Gulfer were such sticklers for punctuality! You know I just couldn't wait to start with the glorious slaughter of humans! Hahahahahaaaa!_"

Arthea remained bowed and refused to answer to the creature's taunt, while the Rasenjou Master stood in its place, glaring emotionlessly at the newcomer. "WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN YOUR FOOLISH WORDS, BUTCHER." it answered. "IF YOU ARE HERE, WE ARE TO ASSUME THAT YOUR MECHA BURST UNITS ARE READY FOR DEPLOYMENT. YOU KNOW YOUR SUPERIOR WOULD NOT BE PLEASED IF YOU WERE TO WASTE YOUR TIME."

The creature named Butcher chuckled again, but this time, there was an hint of nervousness in his demeanor. "_Heheheee... of course we are ready! We have been biding our time and waiting for the moment when we would make our move... and we aren't going to miss out on the fun, of course!_" he answered with sick amusement, rubbing his coarse, oily hands together in a gesture of anticipation.

"THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT." the Rasenjou Master answered. "OUR MISSION IS CLEAR. OUR MASTERS HAVE GIVEN RESPONSABILITY TO US FOR COMPLETING IT, AND WE NEED TO PERFORM OUR INSTRUCTIONS TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES. IS THAT CLEAR?"

"_Sure, sure... crystal clear!_" Butcher sneered nastily. "_Feh, if it was for you, I could never have my fun... anyway, yes, my Mecha Burst units are all ready to go! We are just waiting for the right time!_"

The Rasenjou Master nodded in a barely perceptible way. "THAT IS SATISFACTORY. OPERATIONS SHALL BEGIN SHORTLY. WE EXPECT THE BEST FROM YOU."

"_Oh, no doubt about it..._" Butcher finally answered, and the comm screen he was on disappeared from the wall, leaving the alien machine and its subordinate in the control room. There was a long, tense moment of silence before Arthea cleared his throat and spoke.

"My master, if I am allowed to speak my mind... I think our alliance with the Gaizock might not be so beneficial." he stated respectfully. "It is clear to me that Butcher does not care about our directives, and all he seeks is to amuse himself. Such an individual might prove detrimental to our mission."

"YOUR CONCERN IS DULY NOTED, ARTHEA." the Rasenjou Master answered. "HOWEVER, OUR MISSION OBJECTIVES REQUIRE THAT WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE GAIZOCK AND ASSIST THEM IN THEIR OWN OPERATIONS. IN ANY EVENT, SHOULD BUTCHER PROVE HIMSELF TO BE A LIABILITY, HE IS COMPLETELY EXPENDABLE. WE SHOULD NOT CONCERN OURSELVES WITH HIM MORE THAN IS NECESSARY. ON THAT NOTE, ARE ABZOLTO, GURUMEI AND WITTER UP TO DATE WITH THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS?"

"They are, my master." Arthea answered. "We can say that all pieces of the operation are in place."

"EXCELLENT." the alien machine answered. "WE WILL BEGIN OPERATIONS IN A FEW HOURS. YOU ARE DISMISSED."

Arthea nodded silently, before standing up, saluting respectfully and walking away towards the outer parts of the fortress...

oooooooooo

"So... this is your house? You've just transferred here?" Ginga asked Hokuto, as the two children, along with Jupiter, were walking along the street going to Hokuto's new home. A truck was still parked in front of the house, and some workers were still unloading a few crates and carrying them in the house. Hokuto nodded and motioned for Ginga to come along.

"Yep... we've just arrived early on this afternoon!" Hokuto answered. "I helped with some work, then I took a walk round in order to get familiar with this new place! And by the way, thanks for showing me around!"

Ginga shrugged. "Oh, think nothing of it." he answered nonchalantly. "After all, I needed to thank you for getting that dog of yours out of my hands..."

"Rrrrr..." Jupiter growled at Ginga, causing the black-haired kid to widen his eyes and take a couple steps backwards, and Hokuto to chuckle lightly to himself.

"Oh, about time you came back, Hokuto!" a female voice said jokingly. Hokuto's mom stepped out of the house, waving at her son and his dog. "We're almost done with work here, but we still have a few errands to do for you, once you want! Oh, and by the way... I see you've found a new friend too!"

"Hi, Mom!" Hokuto answered, before looking to Ginga, who was standing close to him in slight embarassment. "Yeah... his name is Ginga Izumo! We made friends a few hours ago, and he showed me around a little so I could get to know this town a little!"

"Really?" Mrs. Kusanagi answered, smiling gently at Ginga. "Well, thank you, Ginga! I'm glad you are my son's friend already... by the way, would you like to stop for dinner?"

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kusanagi..." Ginga answered politey, taking a bow... and stopping halfway as a dreadful feeling came onto him! "Er... sorry, Mrs. Kusanagi... did you just say... stop for dinner at your house?"

"Yes, she did... after all, it's almost seven o'clock in the evening, and dinnertime is getting closer." Hokuto said, taking a look at his wristwatch. Jupiter barked as if in approval... and a few blue lines of fear appeared on Ginga's face, while he widened his eyes in a comical expression of horror and dismay!

"Oh... man... I'm in deep trouble! I completely forgot about the time!" he exclaimed, before hastefully bowing to Hokuto and his mom. "I... I'm sorry I cannot accept your offer! I have to run to my Kempo lesson right now! Oh boy, oh boy... Mom is going to make me do at least fifty pushups if I'm late again! See you around, Hokuto!"

With that, Ginga took off and began running towards his home at top speed, leaving a small cloud of dust in the place where he had been standing... and leaving both Hokuto and his mom to stare at the place in surprised silence.

"Well... he looks like a nice kid, all things considered." Mrs. Kusanagi said. "A little weird, but nice."

Hokuto blinked... and then chuckled good-naturedly. "Yeah... I completely agree with that!"

oooooooooo

A few hours later, in a majestic suite in one of Shinjuku's tallest buildings, while most of Tokyo seemed to be asleep...

"Well, well... I have to say, Mr. Sandman sure didn't mind the expenses when it comes to organizing a stylish celebration." an elegantly-dressed businessman said, lightly tipping a small glass of champagne as he listened to the sweet music of violins and cellos resonating in the huge room, decorated with rich yet sober furniture one could expect to see in a luxurious Western mansion. The floors were covered in spotless red carpeting, with ornate crystal lamps hanging from the ceiling and irradiating a pleasant, soothing glow all over the room. Several maids were attending to everyone's needs, cleaning up the tables and bringing more beverages and food as soon as others were consumed. It was a special occasion indeed - Klein Sandman, one of the richest people in the world, had organized a reunion between some of the most prominent personalities in all the Earth Union government and among the main names in economy and business... and this was the perfect opportunity for them to try and expand their business, or throw the fundaments for new advantageous alliances. "This reminds me of the summit back in 133, though the food wasn't as good back then."

A few of his colleagues chuckled at the joke, and a tall, elegant man dressed in black formal wear, with bright, somewhat spiky red hair and wearing a dark grey mask with golden borders on the upper part of his face approached the conversation. "I am glad the refreshments are to your liking, Mister." he said in a deep, polite voice. "Master Sandman wishes for his guests to enjoy this occasion to the fullest."

"On that topic, when is Mr. Sandman going to show up?" another man asked. "For one of the richest men in the world, he sure likes to keep a low profile... though I suppose a multi-billionaire like him can afford to be a little eccentric."

"This always mistified me..." another guest intervened. "We live in an era where we are building colonies in space, on Mars and on the Moon, where we have perfected the orbital environments known as PLANT... and yet, Mr. Sandman insists in living in a medieval castle, away from the rest of the world."

The masked man smiled politely. "You may find he's actually a link to the future." he said. "Now, if you will excuse me."

The red-haired masked man politely excused himself from the group of guests, as his eyes, well-hidden by the glass protections in the mask's eye sockets, caught a glimpse of a beutiful dark-haired woman in an elegant purple dress, walking away from the large room into a corridor, apparently looking for something...

The woman left the ballroom behind, and when the music from the orchestra dimmed down, and she was sure nobody had followed her, she hid herself into a small side corridor, disappearing in the darkness. A few minutes later, out of the same corridor came a young man in his late teens with messy red hair, wearing a black sleeveless bodysuit that showed much of his muscular torso, with long dark grey trousers and black shoes, who looked around himself for a few seconds before continuing on his way along the larger corridor, away from the ballroom. Behind him, in the darkness of the smaller corridor, a long-haired black wig and a feminine purple dress, complete with fake breasts, lay forgotten on the floor...

oooooooooo

However, the young man's movements were being closely followed by several well-hidden security cameras, who were now broadcasting all images to a secret room in the bowels of a far away castle, where several girls, most of them dressed as maids, were watching intently. One of them, a pretty 14-year-old girl with long light brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a bright red sleeveless top with pink shorts andstockings, a golden hairpin holding her fringes away from her large blue eyes, smiled in amusement.

"So... that's Eiji Shigure, right?" she asked her companion, an extremely big-breasted blond woman in her mid-twenties, mostly dressed in black and purple, her hair tied in a ponytail as well.

The blond woman applied some lipstick and smiled gently at her younger companion. "Yes, he's the one. He looks like a cute boy, doesn't it, Luna?"

The younger girl smiled cunningly. "Yeah, I'll have to give him that." she answered. "But he looks kinda stupid if you ask me. And besides which, he's not my type, Mizuki."

Mizuki giggled, then turned to a group of maids sitting at some consoles, who seemed to be monitoring the space around Tokyo, alert for any possible danger. "Okay, girls... it's time to get ready. Contact our allies at GEAR HQ, and tell them to prep their trump card. A few friends from outer space will visit us soon, and we will have to be ready to greet them as they deserve." she said.

"Right, Miss Mizuki!" one of the maids answered. "We've already set up all connections. We're ready to contact them whenever the need arises!"

Luna nodded and smiled to herself, while srill watching the images on the screen in front of her. Upon the screen, the red-haired young man called Eiji was still running towards some unknown destination, and was about to turn a left at a corner, when Luna decided that it was time to step thing up a little.

"Alright, Eiji Shigure, the game begins." she said, before pressing a button on a keyboard in front of herself. "Tag, you're it."

oooooooooo

A sound of alarm startled Eiji Shigure just as the young man was about to enter another room, and he quickly turned around, biting back a curse. Several armed guards, led by a red-haired woman in a maid's costume, were running towards him, ordering him to stay put.

"Halt! You are trespassing in a forbidden area!" the woman exclaimed. "Give yourself up quietly and follow us!"

"Damn..." Eiji muttered to himself, starting to run in the opposite direction and entering the first room he could find. With a start, the young man closed the elegant door in levigated wood behind him and turned around...

...only to realize that he had entered a female dressing room, at that moment filled with young girls in various states of undress!

There was an awkward, horrified silence as Eiji blushed and began backing away, moving his hands in front of himself in order to assuge the girls. "Er... I... I'm terribly sorry, ladies... I... can explain things, if you'll just let me..."

There was an ear-shattering scream, and Eiji found himself having to dodge a veritable hail of brooms, shoes, pieces of soap and other random objects that were being thrown in his general direction! Wincing when he was hit in the forehead by one such object, Eiji quickly went back through the door, only to find the other guards hot on his trail as well... and he was forced to start running again, this time with a lot more angry people on his tail!

"Stop it, you intruder!"

"He's a peeping tom! Everybody get him!"

"Ugh... why does this have to happen to me, dammit?" Eiji exclaimed, trying to run away from the angry mob that seemed to be all too eager to have his head! He followed the corridor through several twists and turns in the beautiful manor, until he was sure he had lost his way, and his pursuers were still right behind him, a few metres away. Finally, just when he was beginning to get tired and his pursuers were gaining ground, the red-haired young man saw a possible escape - an opening in the wall right in front of him just as he was running towards a fork. It looked like some kind of emergency slide, or a chute of sorts... Eiji wasn't sure which, but as long as it would allow him to get away from that angry mob, it was all the same to him! With surprising adroitness, Eiji arrived at the entrance of the chute and dropped down it, disappearing in the level below...

oooooooooo

"I'm afraid we lost him..."

"So what do we do now? Master Sandman won't be pleased with this..."

At the castle, one of the maid shook her head disconsolately when the onscreen images all turned to static, and Eiji's position disappeared from their radars. Luna sweatdropped, and Mizuki sighed angrily and slammed a hand on the desk in front of her, still maintaining that sugarry sweet smile she had had a few moments before! Only this time, it was plain clear just how pissed off she was...

"That boy... he's proving to be a nuisance, isn't he?" Mizuki said with a forced smile, causing Luna to giggle awkwardly and scratch her cheek in embarassment. They were about to stand up and do something to make up for that unanticipated development, but as soon as they did so, another alarm sounded, and one of the maids, a pretty girl with blue hair done in twintails, turned to them, showing the screen in front of her that sported a large, glowing signal of incoming transmission.

"Miss Mizuki, Luna! We have a trasmission from GEAR HQ! It's an emergency!" the maid exclaimed hastily. "We're afraid the enemy must have moved before we anticipated!"

Mizuki grit her teeth. "Dammit, this is just what we didn't need!" she exclaimed. "Patch it through!"

"Right away!" the operator answered. She pressed a few buttons, and the comm screen opened up, showing the face of a pretty young woman with red-brown hair, wearing a white-and-blue military uniform typical of personnel belonging to GEAR, an organization dedicated to Earth defence that had been in close contact with Sandman and his network for a long time. She looked very worried, and both Mizuki and Luna feared that their suppositions were true... "Miss Aiko, this is Sandman Manor, the Gran Knights HQ! Can you hear us?"

"_Loud and clear!_" Aiko answered. "_We have a bad situation here. Several Gulfer units have entered the atmosphere and are approaching Tokyo as we speak. We have located a few Gaizock Mecha Burst units as well, and the presence of a Zeravire has also been confirmed. The invasion is underway._"

"Damn... just what we didn't need!" Mizuki cursed.

"We still don't have enough pilots to form Gravion..." Luna explained. "What about Dendoh? Don't you already have a pilot ready? Can't you send him to try and buy some time?"

Aiko winced in disconfort. "_Actually, there's a small problem about that..._"

oooooooooo

"Oh boy... I can't believe it..." Susumu Kirakuni, a young man with messy black hair and the standard GEAR uniform, as well as the designated pilot for GEAR's ultimate weapon Dendoh, blinked in distresslooking at the huge traffic jam he was stuck in. The queue of cars, trucks and similar vehicles seemed to stretch to infinity, and there was no chance he could get to Shinjuku in time... especially not now that the enemy had already started attacking! "Just when they need me the most, I get in this mess of cars! I wish I could just fly out of here now..."

Unfortunately, the traffic jam was not about to get resolved anytime soon... and worse yet, as Kirakuni looked up, he saw something approaching from the darkened night sky, like a bunch of shooting stars that flashed in the dark for a moment... and then swerved and dove down upon the huge metropolis, revealing themselves for what they were! A bunch of strange-looking red robots, resembling some sort of monstrous bugs with pointed legs, pincer-like claws and a bird-like face ending in a steel spike, were sweeping down upon Tokyo, and had begun attacking without any warning. Kirakuni frowned, recognizing the model upon sight. They were a group of Orbiton Machine Beasts, the basic units of the Gulfer army... and that meant that the rest of them weren't too far behind!

"This is really bad... if I can't reach HQ in time, those things will destroy Tokyo!" Kirakuni told himself. After some quick thinking, the GEAR pilot abandoned his car and began running towards his destination, doing a crazy slalom among the cars. "I'm afraid this is the only way I can get there in time... wait for me, guys, I'm on my way!"

oooooooooo

In Hokuto's new home, the young boy and his family had been woken up by the sounds of an alarm resonating throughout Tokyo, and he was startled and shocked to see the Orbitons flying high above his house, like a swarm of angry red hornets...

"What? What... what are those things?" he mouthed, his terrified eyes affixed upon the Machine Beasts that were soaring overhead...

A little farther away, the Izumo family, composed of Ginga, his mother and his little sister Otome were equally surprised and frightened by the sudden appearence of the mechanical monsters. The little girl was holding on for dear life to her tall, imposing-looking mom, who was doing a good job concealing her own fear in order to keep her children's spirits as high as possible.

"Mom... I'm scared!" Otome cried, hugging her mom for all she was worth.

Mrs. Izumo held her youngest child close, casting a glance from time to time to the flying robotic monsters. "Don't worry, Otome... we'll get out of this, you can bet on this! Gin, stay close! You don't want to get lost in the crowd, there will be hell in the streets in a few minutes!"

"Yes, Mom!" Ginga said, wondering if Hokuto and his family were going to be safe. He had to admit, much to his chagrin, that he was kinda worried about Kappei as well...

And Kappei Jin, looking out of a windows in his small apartment, couldn't believe his own eyes.

"What... what the Hell are those things? Why are they here? Dammit... this is bad! Somebody needs to do something... but what?"

oooooooooo

With an ear-splitting shriek, the paved roads came apart as a pair of horrific robotic monsters rose from the underground - a couple of Mecha Burst units, the weapons of human extermination created by the Gaizock! Both of them were humanoid in appearence, covered in a thick armor and sporting the head of an eagle with blank, glowing eyes... but instead of a pair of arms, numerous steel tentacles, each ending in a razor-sharp pincer, departed from the creatures' shoulders. Emitting hideous screams of rage, the monsters immediately went to work, demolishing all that happened to be close to them, and sending cars and pieces of concrete flying all around! In the span of a few minutes, the streets of Tokyo were turning into a living hell!

And in Butcher's throne room, the abominable creature was watching the whole horrific scene from the confort of his seat, leisurely smoking from an hooka placed beside him. He breathed out a cloud of foul-smelling smoke from his bloated lips and burst out into a terrible laugh, inciting his Mecha Burst units into greater and greater violence. "HAHAHAHAHAAAA! Yes, that's it! Show these puny humans just how powerless they are! Drown them in their own blood! Kill them slowly and painfully! I want to delight myself with their tortured screams as they die! HAHAHAHAHAAA!"

As the Mecha Bursts began rampaging through the streets of Tokyo, and the Gulfer units descended on the city like an horde of angry locusts, with the defenders of the Earth scrambling to try and oppose them, only one thing was crystal clear - humanity was about to get to the top in the list of endangered species.

The war for the extermination of humanity had begun...

**oooooooooo**

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
